All for the love of a dog

Banjo sleeping as I left the house this morning.

Banjo will have surgery this morning.  For those of you who don’t know who Banjo is, he’s my 14-year-old diabetic Border Terrier.  And I can say he is the best dog I’ve ever had.  I don’t say that lightly, either.  Molly, our other Border Terrier had a heart of gold and loved my wife so much. And then there was Sadie. Sadie was my wife’s mixed-breed terrier who “found” my wife when she was in college. She was an amazing, street-smart dog who my wife loved more than me (and for good reason). Sadie died a tragic death the night we moved into our house.  It’s still so upsetting I don’t like talking about it 14 years later.  And I had an amazing Dalamation, Beagle and Welsh Corgi when I was growing up.  I’ve never had a dog who didn’t manage to steal my heart.

But Banjo has been my buddy. Particularly in the past couple of years.  When I was made part-time, I took it hard.  Two days earlier, Molly had died and Banjo took that hard.  He clung to me and I clung to him.  I raged for a couple of months and Banjo, as only a dog would, listened.  He never said much — in fact, he said nothing at all. He just listened.

I wish more people would do that.

Banjo’s dad was a Border Terrier named Courageous. It seems fitting that he’d come from such genetic stock.  But the last three years have been tough on Banjo. He was diagnosed with diabetes and that started a struggle that has defined his life. Diabetes is the devil — especially for a little dog.

Some people would have put Banjo to sleep. They wouldn’t have wanted the hassle of giving him insulin shots twice a day or dealing when his sugar crashes or spikes.  Or the extra vet costs. Banjo has nearly died a couple of times and has bad days. Last Sunday, he tore his ACL.  Now he can barely walk.

Once again, we’re faced with a choice. We can put him to sleep. We can put him in a crate for two weeks and see if scar tissue will partially heal the ACL. We can put a brace on his leg (which he’d be miserable in — he’s a stubborn dog). Or we can have the ACL repaired. It’s not a cheap surgery. And it’s as logical as putting new tires on a car with 400,000 miles.

But logic does not come into play here.  First of all, we’re also having his teeth cleaned.  Tooth infections have caused his blood sugar to be erratic over the past couple of years.  So if he’s being put under, we might as well fix that, too.  But mainly, I want my sons to understand the importance of pet responsibility. You own a pet, you love them and take care of them.

Banjo could die today. Or tomorrow. But come to think of it, so could I.  As his human, it’s my responsibility to give him the best life possible.

I pray he comes through surgery.  You want to hang onto a special dog for as long as you can. But it’s crazy the things you put yourself through sometimes.

All for the love of a dog.