Take a Break Pets
I’m so relieved my girls and I never gave up on brilliant Brannie… From Siani Blanchfield, 59
As I was loaded into the back of an ambulance, my chest contracted in agony.
But through the pain, I could only think of one thing.
‘Look after Brannie,’ I told my two daughters, Tasha, 20, and Nadia, 23. Worry was etched across their faces — but I was more worried about the dog!
Brannie, our seven-year-old corgi terrier cross, was my pride and joy. She had won us over as soon as we’d brought her home from the rescue centre as a pup.
She would sleep at the bottom of my bed every night and, as I nodded off, all I could think about were her chocolate drop eyes.
In hospital, I was treated for a heart problem. Thankfully, everything went well, and 10 days later, I was discharged.
But on the way home, my daughters had some distressing news.
‘I’m so sorry, Mum,’ Tasha said. ‘When we let Brannie out for a wee that first night, something terrible happened.’ ‘What?’ I asked, scared of what I’d hear. ‘She let out a scream, so we ran over,’ said
Nadia, ‘and her back end had gone floppy.’ My girls had rushed Brannie to the vets. ‘She must have slipped in the garden,’ Nadia continued, ‘because X-rays showed she’d suffered either a slipped disc or spinal stroke.’
‘I’m afraid her hind legs are paralysed,’ Tasha added.
The vet had advised she be put to sleep, but my girls had brought Brannie home in the hope there was something we could do.
As we walked into the house, I wondered what I’d find, but incredibly, Brannie seemed her usual cheeky self, scooting over on her bum to greet me.
Later, Nadia showed me how she’d learnt to empty the dog’s bladder by gently squeezing a certain spot on her abdomen. There’s life in the old dog yet! I thought. It was just her mobility that was an issue for her. So, I researched online and came across a charity, Winston’s Wheels, which loans doggy wheelchairs to paralysed pets. They agreed to send a set of wheels. Strapping Brannie into the harness for the first time, I wondered how she’d react. I was told some dogs take weeks to get used to them, but Brannie was off like a rocket!
‘Slow down!’ I laughed, as I watched her sp
