As Thanksgiving approached this past week, the stark reminder of where we were a year ago came to mind. It is hard to imagine that our odyssey began then. It seems like a lifetime ago now. All the fear and unknowing of what kind of life my 7 month old puppy would have in the future. Would he be able to run with us, hike in the woods, and well, just be a dog?
One of the many things I gave thanks for this past Thanksgiving was, "Yes, my dog is going to be ok " and there are many that I owe a huge thanks to. I know I have done this in the past, but as I watched him run around the yard on Thanksgiving I thought of everyone who took part in making his life what it is now. If you were to see Patton today you would never in a million years know what he has been through. He tears around the yard like a demon in search of squirrels and rabbits, and the occasional bird that flies too close. He will chase tennis balls until his tongue drags on the ground and he passes out from exhaustion. Yup he is just another goofy Golden Retriever/lab. Lovable and mischievous.
As the one year anniversary of his first surgery approaches I want to give thanks to all those that made Patton's life what it should be. Dr. Gooch at the Animal Health Center for always taking care of the "golden child" from the day we brought him home to the many years to come. As well as everyone else there for taking such good care of him. I have never had a dog that LOVES to go to the vet/kennel. He loves his visits with you guys.
Thanks to everyone at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for taking such great care of Patton while he was staying with you. The phone calls before and after surgeries to keep us posted on how he was doing were great and made a scary situation a lot more bearable. You guys are the best. A HUGE thanks to Drs. Manley and Schaefer for doing such a great job on Patton's TPOs. And last but certainly not least, Courtney Arnoldy, Patton's physical therapist who got him moving again. Our family thanks all of you for doing what you do.
About the picture of Patton you see, this was taken after a week of camping this past summer. After swimming in lakes, rivers and rolling around in dirt for a week he definitely needed a bath. He wasn't too happy with me, but if you notice how brown the water is, a certain necessity
From our family to everyone, we hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
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