willoughby. the 6 million dollar wonder dog.

i got willoughby on sale. i wasnt in the market for a new dog, but i happened to see him in a window, at a pet store in a mall. im totally against pet stores, but i went in anyway. i cant resist animals. so...i played with him in the play area. he was a freak. he only wanted to go back into his cage. what dog wouldnt want to get OUT of there? well...that should have been my first clue. anyway...so, while i was trying to play with him; he was trying to scurry back into his tiny cell. and i dropped him! and he was limping! i felt awful. so later that night, i called the store to check on him. he was totally fine. but i went back the next day to visit him. and the next day. and the next day. i was hoping he would have been adopted. but he was still there. the guy said that most people wanted labs, or poodles. nobody had heard of his breed, so he was still there, and therefore...on sale! so this is how i became the proud owner of a 50% off, 4 month old chinese crested powderpuff.

well....my little discounted dog has turned out to cost way more than most people spend on themselves! the 600 bucks i saved that day has been spent thousands of times over on him in the past 12 years. and i can honestly say that he was and IS worth every cent. he is a lucky dog that i was the one who adopted him, right? well...sorta. yes...he is lucky. but im lucky too. because i may have saved him that day at the mall, but in reality...he was the one who rescued me. and in more ways than one. sounds kinda hokey. but its absolutely true.

so fast forward over the years to his bladder stones. and bladder surgery. and cancer scare. and lots of other scares, which he has seemed to dodge. and how bout his cataracts. and his cataract/eye surgery. and i didnt stop there. i spent extra money to have lenses put in his eyes; even tho dogs dont need lenses to see. (i didnt want to jip him off.) his eyes cost me $3,000. worth it...because it has given him years of vision. last year, he went instantly blind. freaked me out. but he dodged another bullet. he is still blind in one eye, but with the help of a very expensive veterinary opthamologist and some very expensive eyedrops, (3 of them, twice a day), he has regained vision and has kept it in the other eye.

now willoughby is 12 years old, and every little health scare freaks me out. i have nightmares about it. really, i do. so the other night was no exception, when he got really sick. he was throwing everything up. even water. i knew something was wrong, because he was peeing on the carpet for weeks. its his way of telling me something is wrong. (hes done it before. i still managed to yell at him anyways...and yes...i do feel guilty). so at 1 am, my mom came to sleep over with hayden, and dan and i took willoughby to the hospital. he had a ton of tests done, and he just looked so sick. he lost 4 pounds. thats a lot when you only weigh 17 to begin with. he was so skinny. and he hates the vet, but was so calm that nite. he knew he needed help. he had labs, bloodwork, x-rays and ultrasounds. he was severely dehydrated; so he was hooked up to an IV. we had to admit him as in-patient. so at 4 am, we left him at the hospital, where he stayed for 2 days and nights.

with as crazy and busy as my house is...(and really...its a zoo...), it was totally lonesome without willoughby. he was so missed. i called to check in on him throughout the days. i didnt visit him, because i didnt want him to see me and get upset when i left. (so i sent my dad!) anyway...the hospital staff was amazing and talked about him like he was a person. exactly as i talk about him. im happy to report, that he has been diagnosed with something treatable. he has a gall stone, and pancreatitus. his insides were a bit screwed up, but he is ok. so he got the "all clear" at 9 pm the other night, and at 10 pm he was officially discharged.

now here we are... a few thousand dollars poorer, and with even more expensive medications which he is to take 4 times a day. and he has a new diet too. no more table food or treats. so i actually baked for him! yup! i dont cook for my family, but for my little doggie...i broke out the cooking trays and baked his new wet food into bite sized treats.

and once again...it is all worth it, because right now he is sound asleep, on my feet at the end of the bed, where he has been for almost 13 years, and where he belongs.