In a Moment of Horror!

Emerson, the former rescue 'pup', had arrived late that afternoon for his nearly two week hiatus with his cousins and me.. I was happy to see him, always am. After a brief but intense play session outside as a new hockey player on staff, pushing the 'egg puck' here and there, the unimaginable happened. It was an ambush like no other. Mr. Wiggles was pounced upon by his diminutive cousin in a shocking moment of horror.

The blood curdling scream by our Wiggler was like nothing I'd heard before. He was being attacked, pulled off the stairs, as we were about to enter the house. (We had done this trip many times before). My Wiggler offered no resistance or retaliation, thankfully. Had he done so, the outcome could have been worse; he, the yellow retriever, at 77 pounds, Emerson, the beagle, at 33.

I grabbed our Wiggler, separating both dogs. I hadn't been able to reach Emerson. He had been too fast for me to grab. His lightening quick action had almost thrown me off the stairs. Not bad for an ol'e bag such as moi.

Indoors, I checked our Mr. Wiggles for signs of the brazen attack. Nothing. The next morning, I noticed diluted circular blood stains on a freshly washed sheet used to cover the dog beds when 'company' visited. Probably from his gums, I surmised. Nothing to worry about. His mouth seemed clear anyway. Hadn't he been grabbed by his neck while offering no resistance?  Where was this blood originating?

Our Mr. Wiggles was an innocent never expecting 'others' to submit to him. Just wanted to play, never biting, growling or fighting. I was puzzled by it all. Blood but no wounds. Hmm. Later that morning, I noticed yet another blood spot, next to the trio, in an irregular, jagged much larger circle. What was I missing? What was wrong with me? Another more thorough exam of Wiggler's lower body, near his front legs, revealed the shocking truth of the previous evening's unexpected sustained attack. Wiggler's chest wall had been punctured, exposing a hole within the cavity, surrounded by concentric red circles. The call was made and a emergency run followed.

Hearing the the word 'major' to describe the surgical event performed on our sweet boy, Mr. Wiggles, the next morning, rocked my world. I had been fooled.The magnitude of this surgery was now my new reality. Two violent minutes of 'combat', two nights before, had torn open Mr. Wiggles' chest wall! Dead tissue was removed with healthy tissue stitched into place. Sutures and staples, back to back! Two weeks of recovery ensued, leash walking only, painkillers, as needed and antibiotics, till done.

An especially guarded watch on our powerful 'innocent' little Emerson was now in play. His parents would know, eventually. They had been away for 6 days when the truth was told. Sadly, I could no longer care for their baby. I now had one of my own to protect!

As I pondered the attack, one important fact rang true. There was no blame game here only the evil spirit that lay hidden, dormant,  deep inside 'my' 33 pound rescue. Emerson had been left intact from the beginning- nearly three years now. When scrolling down a website page, one evening, years earlier, his dad made him ours. Shared custody resulted.

Modern thinking has made early neutering a mistake for some dogs. The procedure is now being given a review. Leaving the reproductive system  intact to mature longer made sense to me. But I worried about changes beyond that 'window of opportunity'. Two earlier indoor dog attacks, within the last two years, still vicious and unexpected in their nature, were reminders that biology is always the master. 'It' never left. This latest attack had been the worst. A line had been crossed that could not be ignored.

Soon, Emerson will be spayed. It's as non starter. His dad made that decision, in a heartbeat, 2 days after the news. I'm glad. Having puppy here makes my heart sing. His care is the best, a service beyond compare. I will look froward to the altered ego of an animal that had been, from the start, thrown into chaos because no one dared to care or understand him. He's home now with a future full of sunshine, promise and frisbees!