The bitch is leaving us

For the last week and a bit we have been looking after my sister's dog.

I don't know whether we'd volunteer to have her again. We have 3 cats and had only managed one night at home after our extended holiday before Maddy arrived. The cats had barely forgiven us for buggering off when we welcomed this large brown thing into their home that barked and chased them at the slightest hint of them trying to get in the house.

Maddy is a lovely dog, she really is. And she settled in pretty well considering we see her about 2 days a year. The kids love her to bits and spoilt her rotten. Even one of the cats was sat with his nose right up to her purring like mad this evening.

Then, on Wednesday, as it always seems to in these circumstances (well, it does for us anyway) she started yelping and limping. This rapidly deteriorated into her not being able to walk at all. Of course my sister wasn't answering her mobile, and after consulting her friend who usually Maddy-sits we rang the vet.

An overnight stay, various drugs, an anaesthetic and 2 x-rays later. Jonathan stumped up £200 and brought her home.

She has arthritis in both hips and some sort of disease to do with sheep, and something else, I think. The vet thinks she has had arthritis since she was born. So why, after 8 years, does it start to bother her in the one week we look after her. He even said she'd had the sheep disease for a 'very long time'. Sodding typical.

My sister is picking her up tomorrow, by October the other 2 cats might just have forgiven us. Meanwhile, we will miss her like crazy, but I am not going to give in to the pleadings for a dog of our own cos I wouldn't want to inflict the worry of looking after it on anyone else.

(Bloody hell, Jonathan's back from the pub. Is he not well?)