Puppy Love

The Story

Tela and Murte were out for a walk with their parents at the local conservation area. The air was sweet with the scent of blossoms. The girls were playing catch. Tela, the oldest, ran to retrieve the ball from where it had robed under some dogwood bushes. She heard a snuffing noise. There, looking up at her with big eyes was a tiny, shivering puppy. Gently, Tela picked it up and carried it to her parents. She could feel its heart pounding deep inside its soft fur. The puppy was quivering all over.

"Let me hold it" cried Murte.

Tela passed the dog to her sister, who cradled it in her arms. "Be careful," Tela cautioned her. "It's scared."

"I wonder who it belongs to," said Mum.

"I don't know," said Dad. "But I can tell you for sure that it doesn't belong to us. There's absolutely no way that we're going to take in another pet. A dog is a big responsibility, you know. We already have a cat, a tank full of fish, and a bird. We don't have room for a dog."

"But this one is so cute," cried Murte.

"We can't just leave the poor thing here!" Tela said. "It's homeless."

"We don't know that for a fact," Mum pointed out. "Why don't we let your father take care of the puppy while we ask around to see if it belongs to anyone."

So Dad found himself holding the puppy while Mum and the girls tried to find the puppy's owner. By the time they returned, Dad and the puppy were fast friends. '

"She's a girl," Dad announced. "Her name is Static. See how her fur stands up? It looks as though it is full of static electricity "I guess it's a good thing that no one claimed her," said Mum with a wry smile.

The next day, they took Static to the vet to make sure she was healthy. Dr. Kakkar checked her for worms and fleas. He also checked her eyes, her nose and her mouth. Static didn't seem to mind. She wasn't too happy about getting a needle, but Dr. Kakkar gave her a puppy treat and that made everything better again.

Static didn't know how lucky she was. By giving her a vaccination the vet was making sure that she wouldn't get any of the common diseases that kill puppies, including distemper. The Zurgs also made sure that she had a good diet and plenty of exercise to keep her healthy.

Static loved to chase sticks and balls and Frisbees. She liked to curl up on top of Dad's feet when he watched sports on TV. When Tela and Murte watched TV, Static liked to curt up between them. She learned to 'heel' and 'sit' and 'stay'. Tela taught her to roll over for a dog biscuit, and Murte taught her how to jump up and catch treats mid-air. When the girls practiced the piano, Static often 'sang' along with the music. "Owwooo", she'd howl.

When Static was six months old, the Zurgs took her to Dr. Kakkar to be spayed. They loved her very much but they decided that one Static was enough. Static didn't like being left behind at the vet's office. She missed her family so much that for a whole hour she did nothing but whimper. She had no way of knowing that they would be coming back for her. Then the vet came to get her. He gave her an injection. The next thing she knew she was back in her cage feeling dreamy. When she licked her tummy it hurt a bit, but she was so tired she just drifted off to sleep. The next morning the Zurgs 'Came to pick her up. Dr. Kakkar showed them the stitches where she'd had her operation. He told them how to look after her.

As soon as Static m-rived back home she trotted all over the house, sniffing in comers and checking things out. Then she curled up on her mat and slept the contented sleep of a puppy who was happy to be home.

One rainy night she started barking and would not stop. Dad got up to see what was wrong. Static had her paws up on a windowsill at the back of the house and was barking furiously. Dad looked outside and caught a glimpse of a dark shadow running across the neighbour's yard. He called the police. They came at once and caught a man carrying the neighbour's VCR out to his car, which was full of other things he'd stolen that night

As the years passed Static became a little less active, but she still loved to go out for walks and to play with the family. Then Mum noticed that Static was drinking more water than usual. In fact, she seemed to be thirsty all the time. And she needed to outside more often, too. Mum called Dr. Kakkar and described the symptoms. He told her to bring Static in right away.

He examined Static carefully. He took samples of her blood and her urine, which he sent to the lab to be' tested. A few days later, the results came back. Static had diabetes mellitus.

Dr. Kakkar gave the Zurgs a booklet that explained diabetes. While it can't yet be cured, it can be controlled by daily injections of insulin, a hormone that is required for the body to use nourishment from food. Normally, insulin is produced in the pancreas. Diabetes results when a pancreas fails to produce insulin. Without treatment, Static would die of starvation because her body wouldn't be able to use the food she eats.

"But how will we give Static her injections?" asked Dad. "I don't know how to give a needle."

"I'll teach you," said Dr. Kakkar. "It's not difficult once you know what you're doing.

He taught both Mum and Dad how to give Static her daily injection, and also how to check her urine for glucose content. Murte and Tela helped by making sure that Static ate only the food she was supposed to eat. They took her out for plenty of exercise, which is also important in the control of diabetes.

Once again Static didn't know' how lucky she was. With the help of medical science and the loving care of her family, her diabetes was kept under control. She continued to be an alert watch dog, she continued to go for long walks, she continued to snuggle up with her family in front of the TV, and she continued to sing along with the piano for many, many years.