Turns Out Crazy Dogs Can Really Take A Beating.

So, it seems that one side effect of being terrified of everything is being able to really take a beating and not have it slow you down too much. Well, it would seem so if you are a foxhound.

Someone took a pretty good beating last night. And was mighty happy about it.

I was at a friend's house last night, and we were wii'ing (is that a verb yet?) while the dogs played outside. These dogs go out in the yard and no one hears a peep out of them for hours. When they do finally show up on the porch, they are tired and very happy and usually filthy too. All you ever really hear from them is the occasional sound of someone's tags clinking together when they run by, or the stampede of feet running onto the back porch, then running off. Maya is never as happy as she is when she's over in their yard, running with her friends. I like for her to do that- in addition to being really happy, she gets worn out in a way that I just can't wear her out. Sorry, but I am not going to roll in the dirt, or search for dead things to play with, or any of that.

Imagine the surprise to look on the porch and see blood and some happy doggies. And then to have Maya run up on the porch and answer the "Who's bleeding?!?" question. She was still very happy and ready to play, but it looked like they were making a slasher movie out in the yard.

Her ear got banged up pretty good, and it seemed like a lot of that was dripping down her front, contributing to the boo boos on that same paw. She also clearly shook her head a few times, and had a fantastic Wes Craven-esque splatter thing going on all over her face and back, and well- everywhere. And she could not have been happier about it.

I did not flip out. Well, not right then. Okay fine, yeah I totally flipped out. I tried not to flip out at my friends' house anyway. It wasn't any one's fault really- I don't believe it was a Real Fight because we never heard growling or crying or anything really. I think it was just Horseplay. Maya's very favorite dog in the whole world is a Very Big Boy- he's about 85 pounds of love, and one of the things he loves is her ears. I think that sometimes she gets a little tired of the boy dogs , but the more they hump her, push her around, jump on her and aggravate her, the happier she is to go back the next time. Anyway, I know that there was no ill will behind it, but OH! is it scary to see your little brown and white dog looking like she just did the Prom Scene in Carrie. Okay not that bad, but still.

So I talked to her in a very shaky and small Happy Voice all the way home, and took her to the bathroom. She hopped in the tub all by herself. It's funny, She Who Is Not A Water Dog likes the bath very much. I think that bath time is worth it because the scrubbing feels good and being towel dried is the Best Thing Ever. So, I sat her in the tub and started to wipe her off. And while doing this I was basically on her eye level, blubbering. Snot bubbles and the whole works. And so I carried on like this for a while, until I realized that there were not Actual Boo Boos under most of it, and that the only thing upsetting her was my boohoo-ing all over the place.

About an hour later, she was in her crate with clean towels, an Kong full of peanut butter, and had a pill pocket with a Benadryl inside it (I wanted her to not itch her ears, or shake them around, and I wanted her to go to sleep and be very still for a while. It worked.). She was very patient with the cleaning part, and even took it like a champ when it was time for peroxide. the final tally was one spot on one ear, two spots on the other, one under her chin, two on her front paw and one on her back opposite paw. All are nice and clean and look good.

I would say poor doggie, woe be the busted up little hound. But it would be really stupid to say that, because it only occurred to me while she was curling up in her crate with all her treats that if it were up to her, she would still be out playing and flinging blood every where. Then I felt kind of silly for carrying on and wailing and moaning over what amounted to some scrapes. I wonder if her anxiety pills are good for humans to take also...

The worst thing of it all is that it was about to be my turn to play Wii Bowling.