May 22, 2017

White Dog came through to check on Benson's progress. She nodded to him on her way out of the dog door...and again when she came inside. He was lying quietly on the bed.

"You are so patient, brother," she told him. "I am not sure any of the rest of us would be so still."

Every evening after dinner Benson and I have a "date." He follows me into the bedroom and allows me to lift him up next to me on the bed. I help him stretch out on his side and get his feet comfortable. He has a special green towel that we fold under his head to support his neck. Then I stroke his ruff and ears and we chat about the day.

Steve comes in the with bag of IV fluids and application rig...and the "after" treat of fresh chicken. He hangs the bag and stretches the line out before sitting on the other side of the bed from us.

"Here comes the stick and yes, it will hurt for a second," I always warn Benson for I do not want him to flinch and cause Steve to miss the mark. Ben takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. And then relaxes on the towel against my hand.

The rest of the White Dog Army assembles each night to supervise and respectfully rest around him on the floor. Every pup knows this is Benson's attention time so they watch silently without demands as the fluids drip in to help Benson's kidneys do a better job of filtering. Every night. 200 units; so far it has helped slow the progress of Ben's kidney disease.

I believe the repetition has given my stoic boy a sense of the time it takes for the procedure because he starts to lift his head and look just as we near the marker that indicates we are through. Once he feels the needle slide out, he sits up in anticipation of special rewards...

...and the WDA comes to life as they line up for their eraser sized "payment" for well behaved supervision.