Hi LuceFans,
You know when you hear half a conversation but you miss the important bit? Well, that happened to me yesterday when I was waking up in the horrible vet man’s cage. TMS took me to the vet in the morning, and it was great fun as there was a big grey dog to bark with and a cat to scare and lots of people stroking me. And then the humans suddenly descended on me and held me down and started pulling my sore leg around. I was so exfrighted I felt like biting them. Then the vet man took me away from TMS and stuck a needle in me, and then I felt all sleepy and silly, and he started pulling my leg again, but it didn’t hurt so much that time so I only whinced a bit and then fell asleep and dreamed about the great park and the stinky lake in the old placed where we lived.
Then when I was coming up out of the lake, I heard the vet man say “… Not her cruciate as we thought. I’m afraid it’s hip dysplasia. If a normal hip looks like a tennis ball fitting inside a cup, her cup is flat like a saucer so the ball moves and rattles around too much … These x-rays … Feel this skeleton … No free runs for a couple of months, and then only very short bouts of exercise … Hip replacement some time in the future … Walks to and from work should be fine with medication … Try it for a few weeks … May have to retire her …” I tried really hard to stay awake and listen but for some reason I kept falling asleep and having more lovely dreams.
Do they mean me? Are they talking about my sore leg? But I want to go to the park and burst footballs and jump on small children and swim in the mud! It’s what I live for! Why Lucy? I thought the yucky stuff was all finished when TMS took me out of the bad dog place! Do you think she’ll put me back in there? I think I hated it there, although it’s so long ago I hardly remember. Have you ever been there? What’s it like again? Might be fun, especially if there’s other dogs there. But I kind of like our sofa at home, and TMS’s dam and littermates, and my cousin Sheba the Golden Retriever, and my tiny cousins Pepper and Simba (they’re terrified of me!) and all the humans who love me.
I got some perfume at the vet place. It smells like talcum powder. It was either that or fruit punch. I’m wearing it now. I hate it. I wish I could find some poop to roll in. Now that’s real perfume!
Lucy's "guide" to being a trainee service dog 
Oh gosh poor Lucy. I don’t remember you having a sore leg before? You poor girlie having a problem with your poor hipsys. I hope that means you won’t have to retire. Maybe over time and medications you’ll be able to continue work.
Take care. You’ll have to walk slower now to help it heal! Wags and licks from Ushi. Xxx.
Ushi, I don’t do slow. We walked the 1.5 miles to work just now, and after a mile or so I was feeling a bit ouch, but I still did my steam train impersonation and got TMS there in the usual half hour.
Kiss kiss sniff wag ear lick MMM nice! I’d love to meet you some time. We can play tug of war with my Kong zebra if you like. He’s a big long plaited stripy boy with a squeak in his nose that won’t die no matter how much I shake the life out of him. He’s great. I have lots of toys you can play with if you come and visit me. Sometimes I open the backs of their necks and pull out a bit of stuffing, but they still love me. Do you do that? Yesterday I found the sealion that was my first toy from TMS. He’s looking a bit empty and scruffy but he still squeaks a bit. You can play with him too if you’re gentle. I love him too much for tug of war though.
On 13/03/2013, Lucy's "guide" to being a trainee
Hi Lucy. Well i would love that. I’m usually careful with my toys, but one day i was tugging on a bird and it’s neck came off! i love squeaky things. I never eat the stuffing, i just leave it in a pile beside me lol. Mum hates the feel of it lol. You should see how paranoid she gets after i’ve played. She counts all the squeakers to make sure they’re still living in my toys and not in me! Why would i do such a silly thing though? Wags from Ushi. Xxx.