It was Monday, October 14th. The day passed as usual, and I entered my sixth year of life. I love my walks, and like every other day, I went to the park at lunchtime on Thursday, October 17th. Chasing the ball and jumping to catch it is my favorite game. As always, I ran after the ball before it touched the ground. But this time, I cried out in pain, not knowing what had happened. I tried to stand up, but both my back legs were frozen, and I couldn’t feel them. I crawled on the grass with my front paws, confused and scared. I saw lots of people gathering around me. I was in shock, and I could see many emotions on their faces too.
First, I was taken to
the nearest charity vet. My family told them I had insurance, so they said it
was best to take me to a private vet. I was driven there and carried on a
stretcher. They put a muzzle over my mouth, and many people held me down. I
felt helpless, just lying there. I was surrounded by strangers who gave me an
injection, and then everything went blank.
When I woke up, I was in
another hospital, far away, where I had to get an MRI. X-rays and other tests
couldn’t find the problem, so the MRI was the last option. I woke up in the
middle of the night and saw lots of cages with other strange dogs. We were all
locked up. They had taken off my muzzle but put an Elizabethan collar around my
neck. I saw some food in the cage, and the smell of the tubes reminded me of
home. I was hungry, so I ate. But I felt angry, and somehow, I managed to
remove the collar.
I must have knocked
something over because I woke up to people making noise around me. I tried to
scare them so they wouldn’t touch me. After a while, I saw my family, and I got
excited. There was some water in front of my cage, and I drank a lot. I
overheard that I had a spinal injury that would take time to heal. They said
they couldn’t keep me there because my attitude toward strangers wasn’t
friendly. How can I be friendly when I’m born to protect my family? The doctor
said all the physiotherapy and other care would need to be done by my family,
but we could contact them daily with updates. They would see me again in two
weeks.
Something was holding
the back part of my body, and with its help, I walked to the car. Finally, I
was home, and I was so happy to be back. It was October 18th, and I had my
favorite rice and tuna. I slept peacefully.
The next day, Saturday,
I heard the doorbell ring and wanted to run to the door, but I could only bark
helplessly because my back legs were still frozen. My family was excited to
open a package; it looked like some kind of belt, which they put around my back
to help me walk. They took me to the garden and told me to go to the toilet,
but I was confused and ignored their commands. My family was doing lots of
silly things around me, things I’d rather not mention. They believe that God
will help me stand up again.
My family was worried
because I wasn’t going to the toilet, even though I was eating and drinking.
They pressed my belly to try and make me go, but I just found it funny to watch
them. On Sunday evening, they were trying to help me stand when I lost control
and peed a lot. Normally, I get in trouble when I do something bad, so I
expected to be scolded. But everyone was smiling, clapping, and saying, “Well
done, Luna!”
Afterward, they gave me
a good wipe-down with very hot water that smelled of lavender, which went up my
nose and made me sneeze. They cleaned up all the mess I had made. Monday was
much the same, but I got a new bed and some vitamin drinks added to my diet,
along with my medicines. On Tuesday, I tried to stand up and even took a few
steps. My back was wobbly, but I could walk with the slings on.
By Wednesday, I felt much better, but I still hate my daily wipe-downs with lavender-infused water. I don’t like the smell. Today is Thursday, and a week has passed since my life changed. It all happened within seconds. As I write this, I want to tell the world that I’m a fighter. The first charity hospital told my family not to keep hope, but here
I am, Luna, the survivor dog.
“I know there are lots of challenges ahead, but I am ready to accept everything as it comes. I’ve also heard the story of the Phoenix, and I will rise up after every knockdown"
