Mini is home... and chillin' like Bob Dylan

Mini is one tired little wiener dog!

Tired, and maybe just a little doped up. We brought her home from the hospital yesterday, less than 48 hours after rushing her in Thursday night for what would end up being an emergency surgery on her spine.

The surgeon told us that it could be weeks before we not only start to see any sign of improvement, but even get a real indication of whether or not she'll ever be able to walk again. In the meantime, the hardest part - for us, at least - is not getting ahead of ourselves, and just taking things one day at a time.

Mini doesn't know what happened, let alone what she's going through. All she knows is the frustration of immobility. With her hind legs being paralyzed, she now has no bottom end to balance with when she's sitting. She now has no leverage when she just wants to shift her position. If she's lying down, she can't get into an upright position without a struggle. And she can't stand up at all.

But she'll adapt, that's what dogs do. They don't feel sorry for themselves, they just do what needs to be done.

What we need to do, is start with the basics and work from there...

It's not hard to forget what Mini's been through - her back is shaved, and she's got 13 staples binding a 4" incision over the center of her spine. She needs three pills twice a day - one antibiotic, and three pain relievers - has no control over her bladder, and no mobility at all in her hind legs.

What is hard, is remembering that even the smallest progress can be a huge leap in her recovery, and those baby steps are what we need to strive for.

For now, just seeing her sleeping and stress free, restful and calm, and so happy to just snuggle up against us on the couch, those are all the baby steps that we need.

Baby steps...