Bo The Golden Cooling Off

Bo the golden retriever cooling off with Fenway. Besties.

I wanted a recued dog. My last Golden was from the shelter and I had her 'til she passed away at 15 years old. My husband had his heart set on a puppy. A beautiful pedigreed puppy. It was going to be his first dog after all and he really really really wanted a puppy.

I warned him of puppyhood; that the pup would pee on everything, require many hours of training, and that he would eat our house. When I told him that last part, I did not see any glimmer of understanding in his eyes. I took his face in my hands and said to him, "you don't understand. HE WILL ACTUALLY CONSUME OUR HOUSE." I went on, "I had a puppy once upon a time, and I had a couch. I went out. When I returned there was no couch. There was only a completely unrepentant puppy. Do you understand what I am telling you?... He will eat our house." My man would not be swayed.

I was head over heels for that little pile of golden fluff before we even got back to our house with him when it was time to bring him home. Bo is different than any other dog I've ever had. He quickly became such an integral part of our daily lives.

I have always loved my dogs, but when the kids were growing up, I just didn't have the time and energy to spend the kind of time I spend with him. This dog is so spoiled. I let him have pretty much whatever he wants. I have never let a dog sleep on my bed. Bo sleeps right up there in the middle, and he is a cover hog. If we're watching tv, he's right there on the couch, or on the floor under our feet. Observers might think we spoil him because our kids are grown and this is what happens. That might be part of it. But the truth is he's sick.

As it turns out, getting a pup with a great pedigree didn't guarantee us a healthy dog. He has severe aortic insufficiency brought on by a leaky aortic valve in his heart. These are all words I learned after I heard them come out of a vet's mouth. When he was three months old, our veterinarian heard a murmur in his heart. He said that we should watch it and that these things usually work themselves out as the puppy grows, and that it might be nothing to worry about. We hoped and prayed for healing and for good news.

We were so sad to discover that it was not "nothing to worry about," (forgive the double negative). We were so hoping we would hear, "don't worry, he will grow out of this," or even better, "What heart murmur? I don't hear anything." For Bo that didn't happen. Fact is, Bo was born with a bum heart. We took him down state for an ultrasound of his heart. He lay on the table and he was so good for them, though he was scared and had to hold still for them for 20 minutes... something he isn't very good at, holding still. The specialist was certain it was not the result of any infection or trauma but, rather, that he was born with it. But does it really matter how he got a bad heart? I don't think so.

And this is more than a little strange. He does not have the heart issue that is often found in Goldens. Indeed it is tested for by responsible breeders before they choose to breed a dog. That disorder is called subaortic stenosis. (Please forgive me if you know more about this than I do and I get something slightly wrong, or even very wrong. This all makes me very sad and emotional and I don't always remember everything the doctor said.) The vet also said he just doesn't see Bo's problem in Golden Retrievers. Actually, then he said he just hasn't seen his particular problem in dogs at all and he has been doing this for more than 20 years. The backflow through what should be a one way valve will cause continual damage to Bo's heart and one day, he will go into heart failure.

So the truth is, when we want to say no to him, he looks at us with those reach-into-your-chest-and-rip-out-your-heart eyes of his that say, "but I'm going to die." And we let him have whatever he wants.

I cannot tell you what specific thing in the aortic valve is causing all this is at this point because I am a writer and a musician, not a medical person. It is above my pay-grade. See, the thing is, my life is in God's hands. Your life is in God's hands. And so is Bo's. Life and death... these are also above my pay-grade. We will love Bo while we have him and pray that it is longer than expected.

And...Bo ate our house.

And thinking myself so clever, that was going to be my last line. Bo ate our house. But while I was writing this I heard a commotion, I left my laptop to go check it out. Fenway was eating my couch. True story.