Fall is officially here. I knew it from the moment I woke up today that seasons had changed. The air was different, thinner. Something about the new season makes me want to run, jump, and play more. I nearly bowled Bea over twice in the yard this morning. She's fast, but she's no match for me. I can run circles around her.... and I do, literally.


I must not be the only one enjoying the cooler weather. Mugsy the yellow lab hobbled in this afternoon. Dad was on duty and had a pretty good idea of Mugsy's problem from the way his back left paw barely touched the ground when he walked. Mugsy's dad said, “It was the weirdest thing, Doc, he went out to do his business in the yard this morning, and came back lame. He didn't fall down or anything!”. My dad knew just what to do. After a series of leg and back tests, Mugsy stayed with us for awhile to get leg pictures on the humming table. For a big dog, Mugsy sure was nervous; drooling and shaking, as if he was about to get a soap treatment or something. I spoke up to try to tell him not to worry. Mother must not know what I'm saying to these dogs, because she's always telling me to be quiet. She should know that I'm only trying to help; I don't think I could keep quiet if I wanted to, and admittedly, I don't want to.

So Mugsy got enough of a pinch to go for a nice nap, and my dad got to feel all of the large yellow dog's legs really well. When he got to the left knee, he was able to make it move back and forth in a way that a dog's knee should never move. I shuddered a little just thinking about it. The black and white pictures must have confirmed what father thought, because soon Mugsy was awake again.

“It's a cruciate tear”, I heard him explaining to Mugsy's dad later that afternoon. “This is the same injury that professional athletes get. The cruciate ligaments keep the knee held together and when one ligament gets torn it has to be fixed surgically.” While I don't understand all of what my parents say, I'm real good at reading body language. Mugsy's father read like he couldn't have gotten worse news. “I'll have to talk this over with my family” was all he said. So Mugsy lazily hopped back out of the clinic to rejoin his dad, still drowsy from his sleepy medicine. I knew that surgery or not, Mugsy would be around to enjoy more of the cool fall weather. Sometimes, you have to look on the bright side of things.