Super Payson

Payson was a little ball of sass from the very beginning. At just 2 pounds and 8 weeks old, she would always make her presence known. If I was on the bed or couch, she would growl at me until I picked her up and put her beside me. Mind you, her growling sounded more like a bird chirping, but she still got her point across just the same.

I knew Payson was special the day I met her. She was just so loving and took to her 2 new fur brothers right away. Even though she was less than half their size, she kept up with them quite well. I also noticed that whenever I was working on something at my desk, she loved to lay right by my feet. We were connected from the start.

It was until she was 6 months old when my world was turned upside down. My older male dog was always weird and had some behavioral issues. He never caused too big of problems so I just ignored it. Until one night, I was eating dinner and he got territorial over MY food. This is when he attacked Payson. He bit the top of her head which caused it to swell immediately. If you have never heard a dog scream before, I do not recommend it. It is the most terrifying sound in the world.

At first, I thought she was just frightened, but then I saw the blood. I picked her up and it was everywhere. I immediately put some shoes on and drove her to the emergency vet. Thank God one had just opened up not 5 minutes from me earlier that year. Even so, the drive there seemed like an eternity. I was crying and I could feel her blood dripping down my leg. She was quiet; I could tell she was in shock.

After I parked, I practically ran inside, and they took her from me right away. Thankfully, there was only one other person there, so they were able to work on her immediately. I was in the waiting room for about an hour before the vet pulled me into a private room. He told me she would most likely be okay, but she would definitely need to stay over night. They let me see her before I had to go back home. She looked so frail and she was so drugged up I don't even think she realized I was there.

I remember whispering to her, "You're a fighter Payson. I know you can get through this. I love you."

I was able to pick her up the next morning. She was out of it for a few days. I kept her next to me on a dog bed on the couch. She couldn't walk so every so often I took her outside so she could go to the bathroom. She had medicine to take twice a day. I was scared at first. This wasn't the Payson from a couple days before. I wanted my spunky girl back. However, after a few days, she finally started returning to herself. When I first realized she was getting better, was when one morning, she was sleeping right next to me, and when I woke up, she gave me the tiniest kiss on my cheek. That's when I knew she was gonna be okay. Then, eventually, she started playing again and giving her brothers sass. It made me so incredibly happy to see her returning to her old self.

I think Payson and I have an even more special bond after this ordeal. When I am working on the computer, she likes to randomly interrupt me and give me kisses. I feel like it's her way of thanking me for taking care of her. I think of her like a superhero. She was this tiny, little thing, but she was strong, she never gave up and she made it. I feel so lucky to have her in my life.

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