Nurse Hanna

Well folks, it happened yet again this winter ... another nasty bug came to town to knock me down for the better part of a week, only this time it was the "Big I" Influenza virus that got me last weekend. I'm not talking about those annoying intestinal viruses we often refer to as "flu," this was the real thing, complete with a high fever (it peaked at about 104 for a couple of days), intense headache, dry cough, chills, aches, the whole complement of nasties as Woody Allen once said. All last Friday I didn't feel quite right ... a vague malaise, tiredness, feverish ... foreboding what would hit me full force on Saturday when I realized that I was well and truly sick!

Great timing as always with these things ... I was planning on working on a project for work Saturday (another tight reporting deadline looms again), but of course that didn't happen, since I was laid up, first in bed, then in my recliner buried in blankets where I passed most of the day shivering, aching, and dozing on and off while absorbing some comfort from non-stop Food Network programming (Ina Garten and Tyler Florence always make me feel better!).

I did, however, take great comfort from the constant nursing companionship of dear little Hanna, who barely strayed from my side (or lap) the entire day ... Dogs know when we're sick. They want to do whatever they can to make us feel better, and our new little one is no exception! Pepa always was an exemplary nurse pup whenever I was sick and never let me out of her sight when I was ailing, and it looks like Hanna already has the instincts as well! Not only did she help keep me warm while I was chilling (not in a good way!), but she gave me plenty of concerned looks and puppy kisses to make me feel better, barely leaving my side, even when Fernymoss came home from work and took her out for "walkies." Once she returned, she was right back with me, as in this photo ... though it looks like she is lying on something covered by a blanket, that "something" was my legs stretched out in the recliner and on the ottoman! She spent a good deal of time there over the weekend when she wasn't in my lap or curled up on my chest in the chair. She's a comfort pup for sure, and it's not all about her comfort, because she obviously wanted to make me feel better as well.
I ended up having to miss a day and a half of work early in the week, where I was laid out in bed with the fever until it broke sometime on Monday, and the entire time Hanna spent as close to me as she could get, not even asking to go out or be fed until I was able to get up and tend to her needs. That's why a good dog is such a treasure to behold: they exhibit a remarkable capacity to put their needs aside when one of their humans has a greater need, and this occasion was her first chance to prove herself, which she did more than admirably! And, as if we didn't know it already, this pup is a keeper! Which brings me to the fact that last weekend was the end of her "trial home visit period" ... her former foster mom called us Monday night to check in to make sure we wanted to finalize the adoption, and you can well imagine what our response was! All of us were in agreement that she landed in her forever home here, where she will now stay to bloom, play, flourish and otherwise enjoy being a part of our pack. I can't emphasize enough how fortunate we were to find this exceptional pup when we did, but then, every day I am more and more convinced that Coco and Pepa played a role in the whole process, aided by Hanna's wonderful foster mom and a great rescue organization that saved her from the city pound from which she originally came! I don't think we did anything particularly heroic by adopting a rescue dog (after all that's where the best dogs come from anyway), but rather than us giving her a "second lease on life," she gave us the new lease on life we needed at a particularly difficult time in our lives. We're just so glad it worked out so well for all of us, and we are all looking forward to the happy days ahead (even in these gloomy times) we'll all have together!

Jedi Doggie Magic indeed. And just when we needed it the most! And, dear Coco, Pepa and Rolly, our everlasting thanks for the role your erstwhile paws played in this whole transitional episode of our lives! You, the elder dogs who have gone before, still watch over us and the house and we hope you are enjoying Hanna's antics as well. You guys sent us a real treasure!