I know I’m leaving you hanging on the 39 Acts of Kindness with only one left.  I had planned on finishing up today but, unfortunately, my day has taken a bit of a turn.  It’s a no hike day as Riggins spent the night at the emergency vet.  He is fine but we are all tired from the long night.

Yesterday I had a dog and his mommy over for a meet and greet.  She was nervous to have her dog, a border collie mix, be left at a person’s house while she was away so had requested the pre meeting.  I can’t blame her one bit.  I’d be hard pressed to leave Riggins with anyone besides my family.  Her dog, let’s call her Sam to protect her identity, was very nice with a ton of energy.  A young one, she hadn’t spent much time socializing off leash and was aggressive to other dogs on leash which meant most of her play time was between her and her Momma.

I had Sam and her mom come into my backyard and hang out first.  Then I brought Riggins and Shug out.  Everyone got along great either ignoring each other or forcing Sam’s mom to pet them.  We then went inside where everyone just wandered around.  Finally we went for a walk.  I took Riggins and Sam while Sam’s mom took Shug.  We walked around the block and, again, all was fine.  Sam did some barking and pulling around other dogs and both him and Riggins tried their darndest to scare the crap out of two cats.  Two cats, who unflinching, stared at the animals on leash and the woman yanking them down the sidewalk as if we were the dumbest thing on the planet.

Back at my house we sat down in the living room.  Riggins jumped up and sat on one side of me and Shug jumped up and sat at another.  All was well until Sam got a little too close for Riggins liking which caused him to give a warning growl.  Unfortunately Sam didn’t get the hint and then all hell broke loose.  As you know Riggins is a lover not a fighter.  So despite his tough bark he is truly a horrible wrestler.  Once things get real his main goal is to get under or behind the closest human.  When the rumble started I pulled the dogs apart and Sam’s mom and I got them laying down to scold them.  At that point we noticed Riggins was bleeding.

A few years ago Riggins had a small mass on his ear and had a notch taken out.  The notch was now much bigger.  I grabbed a rag to hold on his ear and noticed a piece of his ear on the ground.  Gross right?  Sam’s poor mom nearly had a heart attack.  She is a sweet young woman and the poor girl sat on my living room floor near tears.  It happens.  Two dogs sometimes equals a dog fight.  Riggins ear was at the wrong place at the wrong time! (I have a feeling Sangita’s girls are going to be far more upset about this whole thing than I was.)

Sam and his mom left and I packed up Riggins and Shug into the car to make a run to the emergency vet clinic.  We had to wait 2 hours before Riggins was seen.  During this time he managed to splatter blood ALL OVER everything in the vet waiting room.  Then he decided he was starving and had to lick some of it up.  Gross again right?  Normally I would be upset with a wait but this was a triage center which means anyone who skipped in line ahead of me was far worse off than poor Riggins.  Riggins was acting fine, as if blood wasn’t streaming from his ear.  His only unhappiness came from the fact that I wouldn’t let him stroll around the room to get pets from the humans.  I told him no one wanted his blood on them.  I didn’t ask the other humans I just assumed this was true.

When Riggins was taken away to be looked at Shug and I sat in an exam room.  Shug was NOT happy about being separated from Riggins.  She could hear him barking and kept pacing and looking at me as if to say, “Do you hear that???? He needs help!!!!  Let’s go get him!  Why are you just sitting there????  He needs us!”  When we left the vet Shug sat down in protest and I had to pick her up and carry her to the car.  When we got home she protested again sitting down in my driveway refusing to go further without her new friend.

Riggins spent the next few hours at the vet where they put him under, cut off a small part of his ear so it could be stitched up better, stitched him up, and pumped him full of antibiotics.  I picked him up just after 3 AM.  He is still loopy, as you can see from his glossy eyed picture, but seems a-okay.  The vet did a great job and was even able to bandage the ear so it isn’t bothering him much at all.

Riggins had a hard time getting comfortable when we got home.  He started in my bed but then moved to his bed in the office.  I felt like I should be with him and he wasn’t budging so I grabbed a pillow and an afghan and laid down on the floor next to him.  That’s what Mommy’s do right?  It didn’t take him long to figure out the bed was more comfy and we both returned.  Somehow 10 pound Shug had figured out how to take up the ENTIRE bed for herself so I had to lift her up and let Riggins get comfy before allowing her to curl up next to him.

We are all living on lack of sleep today.  In 5 days the bandage comes off and in 10 the stitches.  Then Riggins will be good as new.  Even if there is a bit less of him!