Oh Kids, Paul and I just got back from the E.R., the Animal Emergency, that is. We have just given 4 1/2 hours of our life to Jack’s latest escapade.

Too tired to tell the tale now.

It’s ridiculous.

I wish I was referring to our canine lad’s temperament in the above. It was actually his lack of patience that landed him in the animal hospital this morning after a terrible night of horrendous coughing and gagging. Paul and I were up with him off and on the entire night. When he wasn’t sounding like he was trying to gag up all his organs he was quite chipper, so we waited until morning to call the vet. Hearing his symptoms they told me to bring him in immediately.

They kept him for a while, sedated him and found he had simply “Hoovered” his food and a piece had gone down the wrong pipe. Trying to get it up he strained his throat as “coughing irritates the throat more and just triggers more coughing.” THAT was coughing?

The damage was $113.26 and I was happy to pay it having spent the night with the alternating pictures of him dead or needing extensive surgery.

He is lying on the floor staring at me. “What are we going to do with you, Jackie Boy?” I asked. He continued to stare and then ate a small flower in front of him.

I guess we’ll love him.