KO'ed By The Champ

Ann: So how are things at your house?

Pam: You wouldn’t believe it. I just got back from the doggy hospital.

Ann: Oh no! What happened?

Pam: We took Misfit and Champ with us when we went to see our friends who live out in the country. We figured they’d love the chance to run free in those huge fields for a while.

Ann: Champ I understand. A big German Shepherd can cross an acre in no time flat. But Misfit? How many Chihuahuas go for a run in the countryside?

Pam: You’d be surprised how well that little dog keeps up with the big one. Anyway, they were having a great time. We’d throw a tennis ball for Champ and he’d go after it. Then Misfit would do his best to keep up and follow Champ back to us.

Ann: Sounds cute. I can just see it! So what happened? Which dog got hurt? Or need I ask?

Pam: Well, yes. It’s the obvious. At one point Champ was chasing after the tennis ball and Misfit was following as fast as he could. Champ got to the ball, picked it up in his mouth, and was swinging his head around as he started to race back to us. Misfit was still running towards Champ and their heads crashed into each other really hard.

Ann: Poor Misfit. Did he yelp really loud or what?

Pam: No, he was knocked unconscious instantly. One second he was speeding towards Champ, leaping above the tall grass, and the next he just disappeared. It was kind of funny actually.

Ann: Wow, I guess Champ is the champ after all.

Pam: We ran to where we last saw Misfit and gathered him up in our arms. He was a rag doll.

Ann: Or a rag dog.

Pam: We rushed him to a vet. By the time we got there Misfit had begun to wake up but he was pretty loopy. At first he was weak and had trouble just lifting his head to look at us. With time he was able to stumble around the floor. He looked drunk.

Ann: Is he okay? What’d the vet do?

Pam: She gave him some IV steroids because his brain was swelling a little. She also gave him a pain killer because we imagine he had a terrible headache. But he did fine. Within an hour he was back to himself again.

Ann: I bet that was an expensive trip to the countryside.

Pam: Actually the vet was really very nice about it. I’m sure she didn’t charge us anything near what was full price.

Ann: Why do you say that?

Pam: Because the bill was really low and she was laughing as much as we were about what happened. Also, on the discharge papers as her official diagnosis she wrote, “Got his bell rung by his big brother.”