Greetings from North of the Tension Line

/ J. F. Riordan

The blessings of Saint Augustine.

No, I’m not actually back on the Island. But I do feel that I am back from the brink of grief. We have had a rough month with our six year old German Shepherd, Auggie.

Without getting too gruesome with the medical details, there were times when I left the veterinary hospital sobbing, thinking we would have to let him go. He was in and out of the hospital for the better part of three weeks. Even after his second surgery to remove two enormous cysts, we did not know if he would ever recover. Then he got pneumonia.

We couldn’t explain to him why he was in pain, or why we left him with strangers. The veterinarians didn’t want us to visit because it upset him for hours afterward. It upset us, too.

But…Auggie is nothing if not obstinate…and so are we. We promised each other to do whatever we could to save his life, and we were blessed with a dedicated and relentless team of veterinarians, who studied, and researched, and watched, and consulted, and kissed him, and fed him braunschweiger. He has a neurologist, but not until a week after his surgery could we begin to hope that he did not have a vanishingly rare neurological condition which is, essentially, untreatable, and would have meant he could not go on.

Auggie goes back to the surgeon on Wednesday to get his staples out–he has an incision that must be 20 inches long. He is healing–so far as I can tell–beautifully. I know because we cannot keep him quiet.

He has blasted through two hard plastic cones (the soft ones were too easy for him to get around) and the one he’s wearing now is patched together with duct tape. He has figured out how to use it as a battering ram to open doors and push past his brother, and also how to position it so he can pick up his beloved green ball. He is not permitted to run with green ball, but carrying it comforts him. I have piles of boxes and baskets on the chest on the foot of our bed so he can’t jump up, but he wants desperately to be cuddled. We have had to keep him tranquilized to prevent him from ripping out his stitches, which are both internal and external. In the process he has had nine separate prescriptions which need to be given at varying intervals of six, eight, and twelve hours, which has meant lots of middle of the night, early morning, and late night alarms. Also lots of braunschweiger, freeze-dried tenderloin, and Secret Cheese.

I haven’t gotten much writing done.

But along the way I have learned once again how much it matters to count your blessings. And since I am inexplicably locked out of Twitter, I will be putting my energy into more blog posts, and more serious writing. Please pass the word for me on twitter with @audacityofgoats so people know to look for me here.

Cheers to you all. And to Auggie.

221 thoughts on “Greetings from North of the Tension Line”

  1. Hope Auggie is on the mend soon. We spent the summer nursing our 6-month old Australian Shepard after his surgery. Lots of wok but worth the effort!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Thank you so much for sending this post. I have been thinking about Auggie and family, wondering, worried, hoping. I’m hardly on X anymore and usually check for your updates so it makes sense why I haven’t seen anything. You’re wonderful parents taking care of your sweet, loving boys. I’m sending good thoughts for Auggie’s continued recovery. Hugs and sweet boops for Auggie and Eli.

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  5. I am so thankful Charlie’s recent post led me to discover this blog. I have been so worried, not just about Auggie, but about you too. I’ve been following you on Twitter since 2017 and you’ve brought me such joy (and sometimes sorrow) on a daily basis. When I couldn’t find you and I was afraid something happened to Auggie or you. Thank heaven that’s not the case.

    I’m not much for fiction, but I loved your first book of essays. I laughed and then I cried, and I’ve often gone back to reread certain essays. You write so beautifully and I’m looking forward to reading your latest book.

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  6. I am so thankful Charlie’s recent post led me to discover this blog. I have been so worried, not just about Auggie, but about you too. I’ve been following you on Twitter since 2017 and you’ve brought me such joy (and sometimes sorrow) on a daily basis. When I couldn’t find you, I was afraid something happened to Auggie or you. Thank heaven that’s not the case.

    I’m not much for fiction, but I loved your first book of essays. I laughed and then I cried, and I’ve often gone back to reread certain essays. You write so beautifully and I’m looking forward to reading your latest book.

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  10. Poor Auggie! I’m glad he’s feeling better after such an ordeal. And glad you are feeling hopeful, too. Twitter is bonkers – so many people inexplicable locked out. What a mess!

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  11. How is your noble beast doing? I hate not seeing you on twitter. Keeping up with your splendid pets was a highlight of many a morning. Hope all is well.

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  12. Hello I am wondering how your Auggie is feeling? It has been awhile and I am hopeful that he is making good progress toward a full recovery. Auggie crosses my mind frequently and I really don’t want to be intrusive but his well-being is somehow important to me, and probably to many other animal lovers. Please drop a line in your blog when you can. Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving.

    Terry S.

    Sent from my iPad

    >

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