Old Faithful by Pete Thorne

Author:Pete Thorne [Thorne, Pete]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2015-08-07T04:00:00+00:00

Norman

BRITISH BULLDOG, 12

Unlike most rescue dogs, Norman was not abused or abandoned. He was owned by a loving family, and he was spoiled rotten. But he did not like the new baby in the house. That is how Norman came to live with me. In the almost eight years that I have had Norman, no one could have predicted how he would affect my life. He has more medical problems than most vets would have anticipated, as well as an uncanny need to swallow nonfood items. He has had six endoscopy procedures (the sixth one the specialist did for free—seriously), three foreign-body surgeries, and multiple induced-vomiting sessions. On top of his desire to eat things (mostly balls), he has horrible environment allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, and in the last few months has been diagnosed with heart disease, a splenic mass, kidney stones, and Cushing’s disease. And being Norman, he can’t tolerate most of the medicines to treat these conditions. However, when you meet Norman, he shows no signs of sickness at all, and he has never once complained.

I wish I could say Norman is a loving and happy dog, but he really isn’t and never has been. It’s just not his way. At four years of age, he already seemed like an old dog. Most people would describe Norman as cranky, ornery, dominant, and, frankly, a jerk. He especially likes to pee on other dogs’ beds when we are visiting them. He has had no doggie friends most of his life. Most dogs dislike him because all he wants to do is hump them. Puppies tend to like Norman, though, as they don’t seem to notice his bad attitude. He has had a few cat friends over the years, but overall, I would call Norman a loner. He does his own thing, at his own speed (slow), on his own terms. He likes walks, but they aren’t his favorite. He loves the cottage, where he can spend hours wading in the water digging at rocks. He can’t swim and has almost drowned on a number of occasions chasing a ball into the water. He has a life jacket, but his head is so heavy, the life jacket doesn’t work. Norman and I are almost inseparable. He has flown across the country, gone on road trips, and takes it all in stride. Norman doesn’t have an anxious bone in his body. He has always gone to work with me, and loves being in the clinic. As an instructor for a vet assistant program, he helps me teach in the classroom. He has become such a presence at my workplace that he has even been given a staff ID badge.

CYNTHIA TODD

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