Yesterday, I started skateboarding again. I had been meaning to get back on the board for a while, but never really had the time before. It is a good way to focus. I am not good at it, but there is a certain aspect of meditation to it that requires "being in the moment" that I need right now. The place that is my new skate park (a.k.a. a flat, paved lot) is right next to the tennis court were Laika and her friend Carly frolicked.*
Carly is the dearly departed companion of my friends Steph and Chris. Much like Laika, she was a brindle pitbull mix that started life with the deck stacked against her. She was abandoned and mistreated. Steph and Chris adopted her and inspired a complete transformation...even helping Carly to become a certified therapy dog at some local senior homes and hospitals! She and Laika were friends the first time they met. They loved to run around together in Steph and Chris's backyard like complete fools. Usually they were so spent from running and barking, they they would lay on the ground panting, tongues hanging out of their mouths in the dirt! It was great fun to see them so excited and full of energy. They were like two peas in a pod.
Since Laika and Carly were constantly tearing-up the backyard, we decided to bring them to play in a neutral site while the sod was being replanted. The play area was an old, smooth tennis court which had fallen into disrepair, but still had a net. It was completely fenced-in and offered a nice area for the two beasts to run. [Note: This was before signs prohibiting dogs in the area, so no rules were being broken. I swear.] Laika and Carly loved it! They ran and ran and ran and chased tennis balls. They were being as insane as usual. Laika would constantly be running too fast that she skidded each time she cornered or stopped. Also, she didn't see the net across the court and ran right through it at full speed! Steph and I watched with bated as she did this, because, well, we were worried Laika would get hurt...or even catapulted backwards (like in the cartoons)! As luck would have it, the net was not attached at the bottom, so it gave little resistance. However, since Laika was such a wrecking ball, I figured even if it was attached, she would have plowed through it. Nothing could slow her down! I think Steph and I were just as tired as the pups from chasing them and laughing so much.
After playtime was over, I loaded a completely exhausted Laika into the car. It wasn't until I got home that both of us realized she was injured...her skidding on the pavement had torn-up the pads of her paws! Poor girl! Laika was wincing from the soreness and crying a bit with each step. I felt so bad for her, but luckily I knew what to do. This had happened before, on a different kind of surface, so I lovingly carried my baby up the stairs into the ICU...I mean, bathroom. The first part was the worst, because a few of the pads were hanging and there was also some debris in the wounds. I put Laika in the tub and quickly cut the hanging pads with nail clippers. Laika kept a straight face. After that, I used a bit of hydrogen peroxide to clean the pads. Laika was upset by the stinging and cried out in pain. I felt so bad! But, as I had learned from my mistakes the first time this happened, I needed to wipe them immediately after with a warm washcloth to mitigate the burning.
Laika was upset and uncomfortable. She was looking at me with sad eyes, but also with her usual stoic "I can handle it, dad" look (that she perfected later in life with all of her treatments and hospital visits). Laika was a tough cookie, though. I was just worried because taking care of her paw pads was sensitive business and I didn't want her to be in any more pain that she was already enduring. The next part was her favorite. I had learned that the gooey paw wax called Musher's Secret, which was originally made for treating the pads of dogs exposed to ice, snow and salt, was excellent for growth and health of pads. It was also extremely soothing. Laika smiled and relaxed as I slathered her wounds. She didn't usually like me touching her paws, but this was an exception.
After her brake pads were thoroughly treated, Laika's eyes and spirits brightened! Although she was limping a bit from the pain, she was ready for treats and even wanted to go out to pee. Laika's body was a medical miracle in itself. Her ability to heal and high tolerance for being uncomfortable were just two of her amazing attributes that aided her in fighting such a long, heroic battle with cancer. I am glad that she trusted me to help heal her wounds. In a day or two, she was ready to rumble again; she didn't have to be patient as a patient for long! All in all, it only took 4 days total for her pads to heal with the help of the Musher's Secret. Very impressive! After this, all off-leash running on non-grass surfaces was forbidden. Luckily, the new grass was ready to be tested again a few weeks later!
Despite Laika's stoic demeanor, there was one time that I thought she was in great pain... (to be continued)
A very happy Laika (left) and Carly in their younger days. The yard even had grass!
*I skated in the tennis court in the evening after the first draft of this was written. It is a nice place to fall down...I mean, skateboard. Yeah, that's what I mean.
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