I'm fine. Really. Can we go for a walk now?

For the past several months, I've noticed that when Cache runs or plays to hard, he has a limp for a couple days. This typically happens when he would go to my parents' house and have a hard weekend of playing ball and chasing kitties. But, then he would come back home, sleep for a week, and the limp would go away. However, since Honey has been in the house, there really isn't any time for him to re-coup after he develops the limp. In the past week, the limp got worse and he wouldn't let anyone go near his leg. He also has put on about 10 pounds since November (which doesn't sound that abnormal. I mean, come on, we've ALL put on 10 pounds since November, right?). But, that is not normal for non-stop Cache. He's never had a weight problem as he often forgets to eat because there is just too many important things to smell or chase. So, on Friday, I decided to bite the bullet and take him to the vet. I was thinking it was a re-occurring sprain or at the worst, a small fracture. Althought the vet seemed to have an inclination right away what it was, he kept him there for the afternoon so he could sedate him to take x-rays and access the knee without Cache taking off his hand. I came back after work to get the prognosis and write a big fat check to the vet for x-rays that I didn't even get to keep as a momento. So, it turns out my Cache has torn his ACL....that precious little ligament in the knee that holds the top of the leg and the bottom of the leg together. It's not completely severed, but enough for the vet to predict that he will probably need surgery.

So, the vet told me to keep Cache off his feet for at least two weeks. No walks. No hikes. No wrestling. Nothing. I kind of just stood there and wanted to laugh in his face. I mean, sure, as he was telling me, Cache was still under sedation and konked out on the floor drooling on my shoe. But, THAT is not Cache. Cache is the typical three year old Lab that loves life and loves to run and jump and chase. No walks or hikes for him is like taking a birthday away from a kid.

But...I'm trying. For the sake of my puppy's knee, and for the sake of avoiding a thousand dollar surgery on a DOG, I'm trying. Honey is particularily confused because she is no longer allowed to wrestle or take Cache down. I do allow them to chew on each others faces, but that's as far as I can let it go. Poor little goobers. How do I explain this to them?

On the gooey sentimental side of things, I got a glimpse into what kind of father and support my future husband is going to be. He went with me to the vet's office for the prognosis and held my hand as the vet told me. He carried a drooling sedated Cache out to the car and put his hand on my shoulder as I fought back tears to see my baby that way. He didn't even hesitate about spending money on a dog's knee surgery. Money that we've saved up for a wedding and honeymoon. He knows Cache is my baby and he has adopted him as his own too. How lucky can a girl get?

So, since we were stuck in the house this afternoon, I took a few pictures of the stir-crazy dogs. Ugh, the next two weeks are going to be murder....

The couch is off limits now (since he can't jump or climb on things), so he has a bed on the floor now that would make anyone jealous.

An example of the aforementioned face-chewing.

Guard dog. "How dare those little kids walk by my house!"

"Please please PLEASE can we go outside??"

"Seriously. Someone has got to teach those kids a lesson."