Your Dog Did What?!

Have you heard about the one where your dog lost you thousands of dollars worth of earnings and doesn't even have a clue what he did?

Well, that's my Gringo!

Gringo is my very handsome Australian Cattle Dog—otherwise known as a Blue Heeler—and when he was just a pup, he completely changed my life!

You see, it was an ordinary Friday morning—just doing the rounds before leaving to open my boss's busy motorcycle accessories store. You know, say goodbye to the cats, lock the door, do a lap round the garden to expel just a little more energy out of the dogs before leaving for work. The normal.

Well, on this fateful Friday, things didn't go to plan. Sure, I'd checked on the cats and all were accounted for. Sure, I'd locked the door as I always do and yes, I was on my way back from doing a lap round the garden (we live on a hill so our garden is steep, has multi levels and is almost a quarter of an acre so it's quite a work out!)

I have two very high energy dogs—a Blue Heeler as already mentioned and a Dingo cross Kelpie and they were chasing each other like crazy things—you know, dogs being dogs, having fun!

Well, as I'd just got almost to the top of the garden, I just happened to slightly turn to see where the dogs were when BLAMO! My cattle dog's skull met side on with my left knee!

For a second or two, I don't think there was any sound—it hurt that much! I somehow managed to lower myself to the ground with the help of the fencing and then just cried out in agony!

All I could think about was how am I going to get to work?

Honey—my Dingo cross—instantly knew something was wrong. Call it her female intuition or something but she was licking me, pawing me almost trying to ask, "What's wrong momma? Whatcha doing on the floor?" Whereas Gringo— well, shall we just say that he had a big goofy smile on his face, saw Honey comforting me and so decided to get in on the act. So there I was, in immense pain, being licked and nurtured by one dog, licked and stamped on thinking it was all just a big game that we were playing by another and still all I could think about was how I was going to get to my phone because of course, it wasn't in my pocket... it was in my bag by the front door, many feet away!

After trying to muster up some strength, I dragged myself up the rest of the garden through the dirt and grass and finally got to the corner of my house but I was beat! I couldn't move another muscle as the pain was intensifying and I thought that I was almost going to pass out. BUT I COULDN'T! I needed help!

Fortunately, my neighbour at the time heard my cries and called an ambulance. She also phoned my partner as, we had locked gates that were coded and so someone had to be able to get through Fort Knox to let the ambos in! I needed help and I needed it fast!

Within no time at all, an ambulance had arrived and so to had my other half who luckily had called my boss to let him know that I wouldn't be there to open up!

By early Saturday morning, I was in surgery and I was in for one hell of a ride!

It turned out that my adorable Gringo had managed to inflict one of the worst fractures that you could possible do (doctor's words not me being dramatic!) I had a Plateau Tibia Fracture that needed a plate and nine screws to hold it together! Wow!

I'm just thankful that he did it when he was a adolescent and not as an adult as he is so much stronger now! Something indeed to be thankful for!

Well, two months non-bearing bed rest, then crutches, months of physio and learning to walk again unaided all had a dramatic impact on my life. I could no longer go back to the job that I'd been doing for over 15 years as, I needed to be on my feet literally all day, every day in order to do my job and I just couldn't do that. The muscle wastage, loss of strength, durability, and range of motion was too much.

So, yeah, bye bye job. Bye bye income, but I was lucky. My house is my sanctuary so it was the best place to heal plus I had my hubby to support and help me (yes, even to take a shower!) But the best part was, as crazy as it sounds, I had my wonderful animals to keep me company, which certainly is the best therapy!