Three Dogs

When I opened my eyes this morning, my first thought was of my chocolate Lab, Murphy. Last night, after being part of a therapy dog program, we came home and Murphy started rolling around on the floor (not all that unusual) and pawing at his eyes (unusual). I called him to me and was shocked to see that everything surrounding both eyes was swelling - fast. Left unattended I was pretty sure those beautiful eyes would have swollen shut. I gave him Benedryl and called the emergency vet. On the vet tech's advice, I increased the dosage of Benedryl and kept a close eye on Murph overnight. The vet visit this morning confirmed that he had an allergic reaction to something unknown - likely hand cream or soap - that transferred from someone's hands to Murphy's face. My boy will be fine. But then Facebook reminded me just how fragile it all is.

My Murphy in full wag as a therapy dog.

The first Facebook entry that saddened me was Nancy's. She posted that one of her rescue dogs, Duke, passed away yesterday. Her words:  

Duke is in good company now. He's crossed The Bridge this afternoon to join Laser and Bronte, Robin and Jack and so many more (shouldn't have started naming them with my short memory). He was truly a good boy and all that we could have ever wanted.

Duke

And then there were these two words from Luke Robinson: "Nasal cancer". Luke and The Boys - his two beautiful Great Pyrenees - walked from Austin to Boston to raise awareness of canine cancer. It seems that no sooner did that journey end than another one began: Murphy's cancer diagnosis. 

One of my favorite pictures of Luke, Hudson & Murphy.

So this post is a reminder to honor our dogs. All of them. The ones we share our lives with. The ones we care for and worry about and love. And the ones who have gone on before us.