Wet Poodles

So, last night brought a bit of an emotional event for me.

Dad and I were working up at the garden. I was bent over, rolling up some chicken wire, when Dad yells, "Sarah! We got a dog in the pool!" He takes off down the hill before I can even stand up straight. Then I hear, "Wah's in!!" ('Wah' is an affectionate nickname for our oldest poodle, Erma)

I tear off down the hill and can just see her little head bobbing above the water as she paddles around looking for a way out. Dad, having gotten there before me, has grabbed a broom and is trying to keep her afloat. At this point we don't know how she got in there, or how long she's been swimming in circles...

He yells for me to get the net. I'm thinking..."NO WAY! I'm saving my baby!" I went right down the steps in the shallow end and swam right out to her, fully clothed!!

Now, the reason this event was so upsetting is this -- For those of you who don't know Erma, she is over 20 years old, is mostly blind and deaf, has congestive heart failure, and sometimes has muscles spasms in her legs. So, needless to say, swimming really isn't a hobby of hers.

We still aren't sure how she got in the pool -- probably fell in somehow. And, we don't know how long her little legs paddled before we got to her.

What made my Dad look up from what he was doing and see ripples on the water that should have been still is still a mystery. Well, maybe not entirely... God was definitely watching over her, and us, last night. I'm afraid a few more seconds and we may have been too late. And that is something I may not have been able to deal with.

She had a rough night of coughing and some trouble breathing. She must have taken in quite a bit of water. But we kept her comfy and she is on the mend today.

I love that dog with all my heart. I know that her time on earth is almost up and she's led a comfortable life these last 6 years with me. But, I don't think I could have handled losing her that way.