One Lame Dog

Kalea is the first dog that Jon and I bought.

In the past, feeling there were so many dogs who

needed homes, we've adopted from our local shelter.

Kalea was the dog we bought after

Tyler died. We just couldn't

think of burying another dog, and a puppy seemed

like a great idea. After all, we'd both had puppies

as children, and we wanted our kids to have

the same kind of fun that

only a puppy can bring.

Kalea is a Basset Hound. She's a breed that

we didn't know much about, but with a little

research, we felt she would work well for us

and the kids.

She's a great dog. Very easy going. She prefers

to eat and sleep. Every now and then, she'll

have a burst of energy, she'll run through

the house, chew some things up, and then

fall asleep for hours.

She goes to bed every night at 7:00.

She's a very low key, easy going, good with kids, sort of dog.

Right around the time my Mom died, Kalea started limping.

She hadn't really injured herself, she didn't act

like her leg was bothering her, she just

started limping.

As you can imagine, losing my Mom, the holidays,

the kids, all of those things

kept us really busy.

Kalea was still

playing, walking, running and jumping.

Sometimes she'd limp, sometimes not.

Eventually it seemed like her limp went away.

This past week, she started limping again.

Jon made an appointment for her, and I took

her to the vet. Kalea LOVES to go to the vet.

She firmly believes that all of those people are there

to see her. To pet her. To LOVE her.

All of the other animal patients and owners are

friends she hasn't met yet.

She loves the vet.

Like a good mother, I waited with her for

the vet. Kalea was so excited.

She was wining and crying

and scratching on the exam room door.

She needed to be with all of those people.

Not once did she start

limping. Not once

did she seem to be in any sort of pain.

The vet came in to see her. I explained the situation.

He looked at me and said,

"She's a Basset Hound. Any other

breed, I'd be worried, but she's a Basset."

Apparently Basset Hounds are

known for their lameness?! What?!

This comes with the breed.

So, she may be limping like a pirate with

a peg leg, but no worries. She's a Basset Hound.

He did send me home with some medicine, for

days when her limp is bad. Oh, and a bill.

I had to pay him money to learn that I, in fact,

do own a lame dog!