Happy 8th Birthday Betty!

 

Betty, aged 8.

I remember introducing Betty on this blog as a brand new puppy back in 2015 and here we are, eight years on, wishing her a very Happy 8th Birthday... Time flies!

Betty has always been the sweetest natured of dogs, she is a gentle, loyal dog, whose biggest pleasure in life is to run like the wind. She is happiest in a huge field, bouncing through long grass like Tigger, so when her cruciate ligament first failed her back in 2020 and she became so lame she couldn't walk, I feared for her future. There was no option other than major surgery for Betty, so we placed our trust in her vet and as mentioned in earlier posts, agreed to TPLO surgery ... a surgery which involves sawing through the bone in her leg, then reconnecting it with some very clever metalwork. The recovery process is extremely painful and a careful programme of rehabilitation has to be implemented for months after surgery. Betty went through the entire process without complaint, patiently trusting us to help her regain use of her leg... it was a challenging process because she also developed an infection and had to be admitted back to doggy hospital for an extra few days as an emergency patient, but thankfully with great care from her vet and his team, she was soon back on the road to recovery. 

We were warned that the potential for second hind leg failure is high and sadly, found ourselves back at the specialist vet just three months after being successfully signed off from Betty's first surgery. All in all, Betty's full recovery from both surgeries, aged six, took about a year of careful rehabilitation, while we helped her to rebuild the strength and muscle wastage in both back legs. However, I am happy to say, that since then, there has been no looking back for our sweet girl and she is now back to running through fields of long grass, at full bounce!

I think it is fair to say that Betty's biggest challenge last year, was Cooper. She accepted him happily when we first adopted him, but soon found his youthful exhuberance, strength and puppy greed, completely overwhelming. Betty always loved to play with toys but Cooper decided that to establish his place in our family, he would claim all toys, bones and beds from poor Betty, bullying her like a naughty brother. Betty is such a gentle girl that she withdrew and unlike Polly, who is a far more determined, no-nonsense type of personality, Betty wouldn't stand her ground with him. There was no aggression in either dog fortunately, so I could see that with careful and consistent training we would be able to teach Cooper not to dominate Betty and happily, six months on, Betty and Cooper are now firm friends who love to bounce through the grass together. Cooper is learning to wait patiently for Betty to finish with bones and toys before taking them and Betty will now invite Cooper to play with her and share toys. It has been a challenge, but definitely one worth committing too. They love to run together and play together now ... I have even caught them sharing gentle kisses together on occasion!

Betty may be eight, but she still plays like a big daft puppy. Her surgeries gave her back her freedom to enjoy being a dog and also her future, as I am sure they helped save her life. 

Betty is a very special girl who truly deserves her Happy 8th Birthday.

We love you so much Bets, keep on running! xxx