A Doggie-Poo Christmas Story
Some stuff you can't make up
“Dogs are not our whole life but they make our lives whole.” — Rodger A. Caras
It was one of those magical days. It was Christmas. We drove to my son’s home. My daughter and her husband came down from the north. Our in-laws were present. My son’s children were six and four years old. Christmas was a big deal.
Three sets of loving grandparents made the children’s every wish come true. Traveling with us was my Shi Tzu, Reno. While I was his pack leader, he was a “love the one you with” kind of boy. Every person was getting the full treatment. Reno was doing his tricks on command and getting treats and belly rubs galore. He sat in every lap in the house giving out doggy kisses.
Christmas day was almost over. We’d had a wonderful day with good food and good company. The kids had been appropriately amazed at Santa, toys, and candy. I’m sipping a glass of wine. The dog runs by the Christmas tree. I spot something on his butt. Upon closer examination, I realize something is hanging out of his butt. What in the world? I jump up and start chasing the dog, calling him to me. Reno stops and starts walking toward me. Something clear is protruding from his butt. Reno would have come to me but for one small thing: the precious little children.
My grandchildren shot up when I did. My granddaughter made that cute little girl squeal, running in circles, while my grandson ran straight toward the dog. Reno loved it. A game! He barked happily and took off running through my daughter-in-law’s beautiful house with whatever it was sticking out like another tail. Oh no, was that poo? Stop that dog.
My grandchildren shot up when I did. My granddaughter made that cute little girl squeal, running in circles, while my grandson ran straight toward the dog. Reno loved it. A game! He barked happily and took off running through my daughter-in-law’s beautiful house with whatever it was sticking out like another tail. Oh no, was that poo on it? Stop that dog.
Now, the other adults were involved. Eight adults and two children were yelling and chasing the dog who was loving every minute of the attention. We could not catch him. The dog’s tongue was hanging out; his eyes were shining. Reno had the biggest doggy grin on his face. After fifteen minutes, the children were still chasing Reno around while the tired adults took a seat. We made a plan. We closed off the doors to all rooms in the house while I got a doggy treat and called the dog outside. Halleluiah. It worked. The dog came to me while I fed him Milk Bones.
My daughter is a veterinarian. After I corralled the dog, she examined him. The dog appeared to have a large piece of a clear plastic bag protruding from his butt hole.
“Is that a dry cleaning bag,” I asked?
“You don’t know where he got a cleaner’s bag?” my daughter asked.
“I know where he got it,” I said. “I don’t understand why he ate it. It looks like he ate the whole thing.”
My husband suggested we pull the bag out. My daughter almost had a seizure. She stated emphatically, “We’re not doing that!” The best course of action was to cut off the hanging part of the bag, give the dog a doggy laxative, and see if the rest of the bag would emerge naturally at the next poop. If the bag did not appear, her second recommendation was to have an x-ray done to verify the plastic bag was not tangled up in his intestines. Hopefully, Reno would not need surgery.
My spouse snapped. “How much is that going to cost? A trip to the emergency vet and an x-ray? Reno is fine. He ran away from all of us. He is sitting there sneering at us. Look at him.” My daughter and I agreed my husband was overreacting; the dog was laughing at us, not sneering at all.
We followed the vet’s advice. The bag came the rest of the way out. The adults celebrated with a drink and went back to enjoying the magic of Christmas. The dog went back to loving on every person in the house. And a good time was had by all. Except for my spouse who kept mumbling about “that fool dog.”
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Toni Crowe retired as the Vice President of Operations to pursue her dream of being a writer. Toni has written six books. Her bestselling business book, ‘Bullets and Bosses Don’t Have Friends’ won a Gold Readers Award.
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