Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Josh. 1:9)

Last night, I took Charlie Bones, my Yorkie-schnauzer mix puppy, for a walk late in the afternoon. As usual, when we got home, he wanted to keep playing—the walk never wears him out and only seems to give him more energy. He brought his favorite squeaky ball to me to throw so he could play fetch, which we did numerous times. My house is small, and I was in my office, so I threw the ball into the living room. Charlie would chase it down and run back to me at full speed. On one return trip, he either misjudged the opening to the doorway or his paws slipped—whatever caused it, the result was that he crashed headfirst into the doorframe. He looked stunned for a moment, but then he resumed playing as if nothing had happened.

But within an hour, he began wobbling and having trouble walking, and when I approached him, he flinched and backed away. Something was wrong, so I loaded him into my car and drove him to the emergency animal hospital. That was only my second trip to the emergency hospital ever—the first trip was almost a year ago, on March 30, when I rushed my Yorkie, Lilly, there after she started having breathing problems. Continue reading “Charlie Bones and the Puppy ICU” →