My two oldest children were playing catch in the backyard last Friday afternoon. Actually, our oldest was practicing his pitching. Both of them came running into the house in a panic after a pitch got away and struck our 16-year-old rat terrier directly in the head.
My wife and I ran out to see our "first born" (we got Zeke before we started having children) and knew that it was very bad. It looked like he was dying. We wrapped him up and took him to our vet. She was able to stabilize him and then send us to the animal ER.
The kids were beside themselves. They couldn't believe that this might be the end for our family dog and that their actions were the cause. We did our best to reassure them that this was nothing more than a bad accident and how they cannot go through life always looking in the rear-view mirror about what could have/would have/should have happened if only...
Zeke spent 24 hours in the ER before coming home. Once home, he started eating and is now making a slow recovery. We know he has a long way to go and we know that there may be some permanent damage because of his traumatic brain injury, but we are grateful that he seems to have escaped the worst of it.
The vet bill and the ER bill were not cheap. But I must also say how proud I am of how our family handled this experience together and how the kids have stepped up to care for Zeke during his recovery. I believe that we have been responsible stewards of the animal entrusted to our care. And I believe that deep down, our puppy can sense the deep love that he is receiving.
All in all, it was an expensive wild pitch. But having the opportunity to see the best of us under the worst kind of circumstance has been priceless.
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