We have had so many difficult challenges over the past several years, each time convincing myself that enough is enough....this has to be it...no more. In some cases, I haven't always posted about these not so pleasant events.
Our latest heartbreak is our new little dog, Rudy. We adopted him from the shelter. In a previous post, I believe I mentioned that I had strict criteria...a dog that is a few years old, perfectly house trained, mild mannered and good with kids...check, check, check and check. Ryan was with me and this dog met and exceeded all of our expectations.
Rudy has been as sweet and lovable as we could have hoped for. Without question, he has been the most submissive dog I have ever seen.
On Friday night, Jimmy took Rudy for a walk. They passed a woman with a tiny white toy type dog. Apparently Rudy went for the dog, but Jimmy pulled him back and spoke for a minute with the other dog owner. After pulling him back, Rudy, went behind Jimmy and wiggled himself out of his collar and attacked the little dog. He had the dog in his mouth and was shaking him like a rag doll. Jimmy had to put his hand in Rudy's mouth to unlock him off of the other dog. In the meantime, the little one bit Jimmy.
At this point, the other dog's owner ran down the street, carrying her dog and crying. It was dark out and Jimmy had no idea who she was or where she lived. When Jimmy walked in the door Friday night, I swear he had a look of shock and horror on his face that I had never seen in thirty-one years. Everyone that knows "the saint", can attest that he doesn't exactly have a flair for the dramatic....like some people we know. Jimmy looked like he just witnessed a murder in our driveway. We were both in total shock.
Yesterday, I kept telling Jimmy that he had to find her, to see how their dog was doing. All the while, not expecting that the dog was anything but traumatized...a little naive on my part.
Last night, there was a knock on the door. They had the guard at the gate check the surveillance camera, and the guard told them where we live. They came to our house..the mother, father and young daughter.
They spoke outside, so I wasn't there for the conversation...thank God. Rudy broke their dog's hip in three places and is in the hospital. According to the father, the dog is older and he wanted them to put the dog to sleep. The mother and daughter were distraught and wouldn't allow it...understandably. We were just there three weeks ago with Moose.
We are responsible for one half of the hospital bill. At this point, our half will amount to $4,000...which is the best case scenario, assuming there are no complications. Each additional night in the hospital, is another thousand. I am concerned about his age and recovery. We just went through a very expensive process with Moose, so we know how fast the bill can double and triple.
Needless to say, we will have to return Rudy to the shelter. With this on his record, I expect that no one will adopt him. There is no way to know what triggered this sudden aggression, but then again, we have only had him for three weeks.
With Jimmy's work schedule, he is not available to come with me, to bring the dog back. This is horribly upsetting for both of us...we can barely look at each other. I will be taking him, the next day I am well enough.
All that has happened since Friday has been incredibly emotional, on many levels. Dropping Rudy off is going to be too difficult, but he has to be brought back, nonetheless.
I am sorry to be so heavy...this is probably an example of a time when I shouldn't even post. There are several friends and family that know all about Rudy and this will save me from making many calls.
As far as my condition, I am, without doubt, facing repercussions from the emotions of the past three weeks....I wish I could run away.
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