I have a long overdue introduction to make: meet our beloved dog, Zeke. (pronounced Z-EE-K, like, “Hey, don’t you give me any cheek!")
His full name is Ezekiel James LaBron. Yes, it is totally normal for a dog to have two middle names and yes, I do often refer to him by his full name. My husband just calls him Fat Head (he does have a very fat head). Zeke fully responds to both, which either means that he’ll respond to anything or that he’s smart enough to know that one name just can’t quite sum him up.
We named him after this guy. He was the first person we met in Mobile, AL. When he (with deep baritone voice) introduced himself as Zeke I almost laughed out loud. I mean- it was just too perfect. Don’t you just want to pat him on his shiny, turtle waxed, head?
So when this guy came along we named him after the original Zeke.
He’s an Olde English Bulldogge and one of my favorite creatures on this whole earth. We got him this past summer and he’s now almost 2 years old.
He likes cuddling with his momma.
It’s not uncommon for me to wake up and find him like this.
He’s crazy stubborn, a little neurotic, incredibly loyal, snorts all the time, a complete lazy bones, and can always make me laugh. In short- he lights up my life.
Oh, and he’s ALLLLLLL boy. Given the choice between pillowy grass and a mangey stinking mud hole he will always, and I mean ALWAYS, choose the mud hole.
Like I said. He’s a boy. A dirty, filthy, nasty, smelly, gross boy.
But it’s hard to resist that face.
This is Zeke’s best friend, Taylor. She’s a boxer and belongs to some of our best friends. She’s gotten quite a bit bigger since this photo was taken, but I hear that she’s just as spunky. Which is good, cause Zeke likes girls with a little zest.
When we found out that we were moving to England for 6 months I had to bring Zeke to Nebraska for an extended vacation at my parents’ house (BLESS THEM). We miss him terribly, but I know he’s getting a double dose of love and is well cared for there. I can’t begin to express how thankful I am to know that he is well taken care of. My parents are getting triple jewels in their heavenly crowns.
I actually feel a bit sorry for him though. He’s living the life of a king at the moment, so coming back to us will be a bit of a readjustment.
No more cookies! No more steak! Don’t talk back!
Apparently we’re strict.
Earlier this week we all received some surprising news. After noticing that Zeke was acting a bit strange my mom took him into the vet who then referred her to a specialist in Omaha (about 60 miles away from their home). Braving a blizzard, icy roads, and a dog who, of all things, hates being in a car, my mom rushed him to the specialist on Monday. After doing some tests, we found out that Zeke has been diagnosed with a disease called Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), which, in laymen’s terms, means that his is permanently and irrevocably going blind. At this point he probably only has about 5-10% of his vision left and that is quickly dissipating.
At first I was devastated. His vision deteriorated so quickly, and this honestly isn’t something that I had ever even imagined could happen. My heard ached for him and I was so confused about what to do next. What does one do with a blind dog? However, after speaking with the vet I realized a few things:
1. He isn’t in any pain- the boy is as happy as can be. In fact, if you didn’t know he was blind you’d swear there was nothing wrong with him, he still plays and acts just like a dog should. He loves his life, and is adapting amazingly well.
2. I’m glad that this happened while he is still young. We can easily train him and help him adjust to his new situation. It would be much more difficult if he was a 7 year old dog struggling to learn new commands.
3. So often people regard a disability, in whatever form, to be frightening and horrible. But the more I assess those emotions the more I realize how foolish and small minded they are. Yes, disabilities, or hardships in general, make life more difficult. But the greatest rewards come from overcoming huge challenges. The people I admire most are the ones that refuse to allow barriers keep them from achieving their goals. There is no story worth telling that doesn’t involve the act of overcoming the seemingly impossible. The greater the challenge, the greater the reward.
I realize that I say this as someone who has lived a relatively easy life. And I know that Zeke is just a dog, and that his blindness cannot even remotely be compared with many of the disabilities that others face. But the same principles and heart that are used to climb a hill can be used to scale an Everest.
We are just beginning our journey in learning how to care for a handicapped dog. I’m sure there will be many frustrations along the way. But my greatest hope is that Glenn, myself, my parents, and any others involved in training our boy will learn to see the bigger picture through all of this. Life will always throw us curveballs, and tomorrow can hold amazing or horrible news. What is important is how we handle that news, and the actions we take once the dust begins to settle. Maybe I’m getting a little too preachy, and I suppose it’s time to step off the soap box and put it back in its closet. But these are the thoughts that I’ve been convicted of lately, and I dearly hope that I will rise to the challenge, and when that boy is back in my care I hope I can show him a full life and never shirk from my responsibilities just because it is difficult or frustrating. I don’t want to wallow in pity. My dog is blind, but he will have the best life possible. (You see, I have a bit of a stubborn streak myself)
and praise God he has such a big, thick, skull to bump into things with.
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