Tonk

We have a new addition to the household. 

At 3 ½ months old and weighing in at 5 lbs., enter Tonk into our world. He joins 11 year old Dixie weighing in at 67 pounds, 10 year old Ruby weighing in at 69 pounds, and 8 year old Maggie weighing in at 65 pounds.

On Sunday, August 18^th, a homeless man walked into the back of our church with this teeny-tiny black dog. He asked us to pray for his puppy because he had been attacked by a larger dog. Both sides of his face at the jar line were ripped and bleeding. His jaw was slightly out of line. The little dog, named for their ‘home’ location, was named Highway 6.The homeless man’s name is Bob. He sleeps at the back door of our church, and our minister has told him if he would do no harm he could stay. Hence, Bob is referred to as our night watchman. 

I observed the listless state of the little dog and asked if he had been fed. The answer: some French fries from a dumpster. My heart sank. I knew he wouldn’t live 24 hours in his state. After church I begged Bob to release the dog to me.

I took the pup to the ER vet clinic on the 610 loop in the Galleria area of Houston. We spent several hours there while they checked him out. The prognosis was that the pup needed to be worked on, have his jaw X-rayed and a battery of meds and IV fluids administered. I knew this would cost me my pay check. However, they told me there was an up side to the cost estimate. If I bailed him out at 4 a.m. Monday morning and promised to take him to my vet to spend the next day hospitalized there, it would save me $500. Yeah, you bet I was up at 2:30 to get ready for work and make the drive into Houston to get him. I took photos of him in the basket on the ride to my vet. He was so quiet and still. His jaw still showed the tears in the flesh, and you could smell the infection that set in.

My vet assured me he would probably be okay. The infection would have to be kept under control. He needed to eat special food and they prescribed pain meds to put in his food. I was told I could pick him up at the end of the day and to watch him carefully for several days.

Tonk came home that afternoon and spent the evening on my lap. Maggie – the 65 pound brown chunk of hyper excitement totally uncontained – tried every way in the world to get on my footstool and nose him and sniff him. I barked her down for hours. Ruby hovered like an old mother hen. Dixie left us alone. I put him in his basket that night on the floor by my bed. I prayed he would sleep, but was prepared to get no sleep with a crying baby nearby. What I did not expect was the fact that the baby would sleep through the night after a few initial whimpers. What actually kept me awake all night was the annoying whimpers and scratches at the door by the 65 pound jealous baby wanting to sleep with mommy – Maggie!!! I don’t think I slept 30 minutes. She did NOT like being on the other side of that closed bedroom door.

Tuesday morning I put the puppy in the bathroom while I took the others outside. I prepared him for his walk and notice this little guy did not potty on the training pads or the bathroom floor. He waited to go outside. I was thrilled. I took him to work with me and he spent the day pretty much resting on my lap.

I finally gave him a name. He looks like a miniature black lab. My vet guessed he may have Miniature Pincher and Chihuahua mix in him. I decided to name him Tonk because Tonka trucks look like a miniature version of real trucks. He is certainly a miniature version of something.

Tonk spent Tuesday night in the basket by my bed. Again, Maggie whined and cried on the other side of the door.

 

On Wednesday, the tables turned on me. 

He was put in the bathroom while the other three went out Wednesday morning at 6. He went for his walk and was a good boy. I put him back in the bathroom while I fed the livestock in the other room. He ate a good breakfast – like twice as much as he should have! I opened the bathroom door to step in and he shot out between my feet and took off. Maggie was on him in a flash. I was screaming NO and STOP MAGGIE while I raced to protect him. He wheeled and bolted faster than a bunny rabbit with Maggie in hot pursuit. Then he spun around to Ruby, lowered his shoulders as if to say, “Come on, Old Gal. Come and get me.” The house was total pandemonium. I couldn’t believe he didn’t get hurt. I couldn’t believe he was nipping and boxing at these two huge beasts galloping across the house to catch him. I couldn’t believe he wasn’t hurting his jaw barking at them. This little dude thinks he is the big man on campus.  (Maybe I should take a lesson in life from him.)

At the end of the day, somebody was tuckered out. And it wasn't Tonk!