Tripping in Heels

I never thought the first stroller I ever purchased would be for my dog.  I mean seriously, I’m 32 years old.  I should have a freaking double stroller with snotty kids hanging out of it.  Instead I have a rockin’ pet stroller that houses my old black pug.  And while I feel like a huge dork strolling my dog around, I hold my head up high because I would do anything for that stinkin’ dog.

My Leo is almost eleven.  He has always been super healthy…well until last year when he had most of his teeth pulled, tore his ACL, and suffered from a stroke.  He went from aging with dignity to downright falling apart in a matter of months.  But he recovered.  And I was starting to get my hopes up about his health.  Silly me.

Tuesday afternoon I got a call from the dog-walker (never a good sign).  She said that Leo was limping really bad and basically not using the right side of his body.  He was disoriented, but didn’t seem to be in pain.  As the night went on, his mobility decreased and he was falling every time he tried to walk. 

I rushed him to the vet yesterday morning where he happily wobbled and fell all over the office.  It was sad and comical at the same time.  The vet said he’s suffered another stroke.  We knew he’d have more, but I certainly wasn’t ready.  The good news is that Leo will mostly recover and that he isn’t in any pain.  The bad news is that he is getting old and will most likely suffer from more strokes.  I cried a lot yesterday.  The reality of his age has been hitting me hard.  I honestly cannot imagine my life without that sweet dog.  I know the day will come when he’ll be gone from this planet forever, but I just don’t want to face that yet.

Anyways, enough with the sadness….back to my pet stroller.  I live downtown.  While we actually have a few nice parks in the area, they are all a few blocks away.  There is a brand new park right outside the front door of my building, but it’s still under construction.  Leo just can’t make the long walk anymore.  And the dog needs some grass.  So I got on Craig’s List yesterday and bought him a pet stroller.  We took our first walk in it last night and Leo did great.  I’m sure he was thinking “damn, you mean I could have been stylin’ in this thing all this time and that bitch just now bought me one?”  

So he’s sitting pretty and I’m getting strange looks from everyone walking around downtown.  My coolness factor has definitely plummeted!  I’m seriously thinking of getting a bumper sticker that says Stroke Victim for his stroller just so people don’t think I’m one of those weirdos who takes her pet for a stroll!  But like I said already, I’d do anything for that dog!!

Here’s a pic of him from a few weeks ago when his new sweater arrived in the mail.