My adorable, muscle-bound dog, Patches, suffered an athlete’s fate here in Maryland on Thursday. She made the mistake of running and turning at the same time. Dogs tend to do that. Our vet identified the cause of her subsequent limp: a torn ACL. He said it tends to happen to very strong, athletic dogs whose muscle strength exceeds their ligament strength. She probably tore it a little bit in the past, and this was the final straw. Poor baby!

First, I didn’t even realize dogs have ACL’s. Yup, along with a miniscus, just like human knees. I never knew that. And they can blow them out on the playing field, just like human athletes. Patches has some surgery and a tough recovery ahead.

My ability to help her is limited. I can’t pick her up, or give her a boost, or much of anything, because I’m still recovering from shoulder surgery. You’d think I’d at least have injured it doing something fun: rock climbing, skiing, sailing, or snowboarding; but no. I blew my shoulder out doing something just as challenging as Patches: I lifted the head rest on a rental car. Pop! What was I thinking, trying something like that? More proof that your body gets the last laugh for everything you put it through.

Hmmm…I think I see a couple of patterns here. Unexpected injuries, and supportive family. Which gets me to the gratitude part. I’m so thankful for my parents, who came to help during my surgery, and now, to my two awesome family members who are supporting Patches through hers. We will both try not to do anything too strenuous. Like turning left.