Yesterday evening, Grace ran into the house screaming "Something is wrong with Mac." She had found him in his kennel in the garage, somewhere he normally doesn't go during the day. She brought him in and we were mortified to see the swelling in his face. I called our Vet, explained his symptoms and got instructions to give him 50 mg. of Benadryl. He suspected that he had found a bee's nest. Poor guy!
Mac and I have had a love/dislike kind of relationship in the past, but last evening's events was sort of a turning point for us. After the Benadryl, I expected him to fall to the floor and snore the rest of the evening. He did not. He continued his usual shenanigans--he sniffed out my yarn and ran off with it for the thousandth time, he drug the kitchen rug and made us chase him, he took notice of the cat and decided to terrorize him--usual Mac stuff. We normally send him outside when he's not playing nice indoors, and he is an outdoor dog after all. But, last evening we had to monitor him, so we chased, played chew toys, and tolerated. The swelling noticeably decreased and he seemed fine. Anyhow, after the house was quiet and everyone was in bed dreaming of the first day of school, Mac snuggled up next to me and laid his head in my lap--a first. I patted and told him how sorry I was that he had found a bee's nest. I told him that his face was looking better and that I hoped he was feeling better. Heck, I was on a roll, I even told him that I was glad he didn't croak. Then I did something that I hadn't done in a very long time. I kissed a dog. I really did. I bent down and kissed that dog on the top of the head. I think it surprised him as much as it did me.
p.s. Mac is fine this morning--his face is back to normal. He followed me in my nightgown to the chicken coop at 6:30 a.m. He chased Bess and Grace driving off for their first day of school, then he grabbed a dish towel that I was holding and ran off with it. The End.
