The human-dog relationship has been discovered to be unique since man decided to domesticat dogs. Dogs have also shown their loyalty and undying love through times to men, and like all relationships, the relationship between these two also faces the trials of life that threaten to ruin the happiness they’ve built over time. Such is the relationship between a young woman, Joey, and Rusty, her white Labrador retriever. The duo had an amazing mother-dog bond, but this threatened to be short-lived when Rusty contacted the parvovirus, which was known to have no cure.
THEIR LIVES BEFORE THE CHAOS.
Joey had adopted Rusty off the shelter, and both of their lives saw a new turn. Joey was a lonely young woman who rarely goes out and doesn’t have friends, so one day she decided she needed company, but not in the form of humans. After several contemplations and back-and-forth self-deliberations among goldfish, cats, and dogs, she leaned towards adopting a dog. She had never had a pet, but she saw online that dogs remain loyal and security-wise, they are the go-to pet, Thus, her mind was made up, and she didn’t look back until she got to a shelter she had seen coming back from work one day. She didn’t know the breed she was going for, so when she entered the shelter, it took her several minutes before she saw Rusty, and she knew he was the one for her. The worker had shown her varieties of breeds in both genders and in different colors; she just shook her head and moved as if she knew exactly what she was looking for. Having walked through the span of the hall, she had almost given up when she saw him lying down in the cage, calling upon her with his green eyes. There and then, ,she adopted him and went to the vet the same day. Rusty, on the other hand, had a tough and rough past. He was abandoned and found very close to death after starving for days by a riverside. He was rescued before he was taken to the shelter, but somehow no one has managed to adopt him for the year that he has been there. Joey called it destiny, and who could ever argue with a mother. Rusty had been made to undergo thorough examinations, and Joey had gotten advice on adjustments to him, types of foods, and many other significant things that would make it easy to navigate the new life she would get with Rusty. But Joey didn’t have to because Rusty was withdrawn in the beginning. The vet said it might be hard for him to adjust to another human and would take time since no one knew his formal life; the only evidence was where he was found, and that definitely was not fun, traumatizing even.She nursed him back, gently and passionately, until he began to come back to what she had expected in the beginning. He became a very happy dog and definitely kept her company, and Joey, from the happy Rusty, got infected with happiness; it was a win win situation for the duo. They both had no one and had each other. They would take evening walks, and as a result, his new owner, Joey, became friends with other dog moms and dads, and whenever she was down, Rusty would make her play fetch with her, and like that, her moody mood would vanish just as it had come. It was like they were meant to heal each other, meant for each other, and just like that, Joey became more social than before.
TROUBLE IN PARADISE.
It was one faithful day. She took him for the usual checkup after he started vomiting the night before, and he could hardly get off his bed in the morning. The doctor told her that there might be a need for further blood tests and fecal examinations since he found unusual things when he examined him physically to confirm his suspicions. He ran the tests, and she waited while rubbing his face gently. When he came back to the office, she knew something was wrong. She was told that he was found to have contacted the parvovirus. The vet told her he was to be admitted with immediate effect and also isolated so he wouldn’t infect other dogs, and he needed serious medical intervention and intensive care. Joey couldn’t stop her tears. This was her best friend, and there was no way she would cope without him in her life. The doctor had assured her, “Since we discovered it early, it’s fine; he will be okay. I’m glad you cared for him so much that you brought him as soon as possible so we could find out. If you had waited a bit longer, it might have been worse.”. She took that as a consolation but wasn’t happy nonetheless. Now she has to go home alone and sleep alone, going back to her lonely life before Rusty.
He was admitted away from other dogs, placed on antibiotics, intravenous fluids, a bland diet to manage the digestion issues, and many more. During these times, Joey was beside him as much as she could, feeding him, hydrating him, whispering words of encouragement into his ears, and giving him some of the love he had spread to her. At a point in time, he stopped responding to treatment, and Joey was told that the prognosis was poor and he had a slight chance of recovery, so she was told to prepare for the worst. She saw it too that life seemed to be seeping slowly from his eyes; he was suffering, and his usual vibrant green eyes had turned darker as death itself. His eyes were now more sad, and he had refused to look at her as if he knew what was coming. He was on a high dose of pain medications, but it seems nothing was working. She felt like she was losing a part of herself, and there was no way she could live with not having him around anymore, One thing was to know he was suffering on the hospital bed, and another was to bury him, she knew she didn’t want that. When she got home that day, she had cried herself to sleep, thinking she might lose him after all, and upon waking up that morning, she prayed regardless, unlike anything she had ever done, willing him to live and willing him to fight. When she got to the clinic that day, just as if the day before hadn’t happened and as if Rusty had seen her tears the previous night and knew she needed him, he started responding to treatment, saying miracles don’t happen anymore. When she saw this new development, she couldn’t help but cry with overwhelming joy and relief, knowing that she wouldn’t lose him after all. The doctor said, “Rusty was a good dog and wanted to keep living for his mom.”. The staff called it “a second chance at life.”. His steps were weak and wobbly at first, but with Joey beside him, he cheered him, praising him by hugging him for every small victory and urging him. He soon began to gain strength along with his resilient canine spirit. Days later, color started coming back to his face, and weeks later, he was discharged with the promise that he should be well cared for and be regular on checkups and medications.
HAPPILY EVER AFTER.
Just as if the previous weeks hadn’t occurred, Rusty came back to life, regaining his full strength even better than before his sickness and his near-death experience, and his white color even became more silky than before. His bark had resumed in earnest, bringing joy and warmth to his owner. Soon, they were cuddling and taking evening walks like old times. It was like the parvovirus didn’t occur; the only evidence was weekly checkups and medications. His case inspired his medical team, as they were in awe of his miraculous discovery. He was soon visiting the parks, playing fetch, seeing his mom’s favorite shows, and taking evening walks while wagging his tail wildly.
Rusty soon became an even further source of hope and resilience to his owner, and Joey told everyone who cared to listen or not how Rusty cheated death and continued to live feet above the ground.
Rusty continues to be a symbol of hope and how love can change everything in one’s life for the better and, in some cases, for the best. He continues to live a healthier life with his owner, Joey, who still showered him with love and affection, having reaffirmed that he was more than a pet but more like her best friend, confidant, and family, and also having realized that life could take a turn for the worse at anytime, and the little time they’ve had, they had to live it to the fullest with no regret.