Say A Little Prayer for Bart, Please?

I can't believe I'm asking this, not being much of a "dog person", but Bart is my 4 year old grandson, CJ's dog. That's not the reason he needs prayer, even though in this picture, he looks like he might be being hugged to death. My daughter Jessica, her son CJ and their dog Bart have been staying with us, ever since the first part of December, when Jess was discharged from the Air Force. Bart is a Welsh Corgi.

Bart and our dog, Jake had been doing fine just being let out in the yard without being tied up, since we moved out in the country where we live on about 20 acres. However, Bart has recently decided that he owns the road too, and has started chasing cars when he goes outside. I think you can figure out where this story is going now.

Yes, he got hit by a car last night. A lady came to the door crying, saying she'd hit our dog. We assumed the dog was dead, and I think the lady did too. Ray went outside to check it out, and saw the little dog lying on his back with his feet straight up in the air, but then he got a little closer...and Bart rolled over and looked up at him. Ray said it kinda freaked him out! The thing is, that's what Bart does when he's scared or just doesn't want to come when he's called. The little stinker rolls over and plays dead.

So Ray brings him in the house, he's not dead...he's not even bleeding, but he's not really moving or making any noise at all. And it's a Sunday night. We called around to some pet hospitals and all of them needed money up front to even take a look at him. Unfortunately, money is something pretty scarce around here at the moment. We decided to monitor him overnight and take him in to the vet in the morning...if he made it through the night.

He has made it through the night. In fact, at about 5am, our dog Jake was barking from upstairs in Molly's room. He needed to go outside, so I went upstairs, which woke Jessica up. She had Bart's bed in their room overnight. I asked her if he was still alive, she looked down in his box asked, "Where is he?" He'd somehow made it across the hall to the TV room and was lying in a corner with his head behind the futon. He had also gone to the bathroom on the floor...but I guess that wasn't his fault. At least it's a bare floor, and not carpet up there. And we now know that he is able to get around. We just don't know if he actually walked or dragged himself there.

As of nine o'clock this morning, Jessica, CJ and Bart are all still asleep. We plan on taking him in this morning, but if his injuries are extensive, we'll have to have him put to sleep. Molly wants us to come and pick her up from school if it comes down to that. She's taking this whole thing harder than anyone else. I don't think CJ really understands it. He thinks that if the dog dies, we can just go to the "Bart store" and get a new Bart. I hate this, myself. I've never especially cared for Bart, but don't really like to watch an animal suffer either. Not to mention, the expense for Jessica in taking him to the vet, possibly to find out that he needs to be put down anyway.

I guess I'd better go wake them up and see what the situation is, I'll update later.

Update: We decided to take Bart outside, just to see what would happen. Jess carried him out and gently set him down. He not ony stood up, but did his business and then trotted around after Jake a little bit. He's walking a little crookedly, but he's walking. We stil plan on taking him to the vet, but right now Jessica's car won't start...and mine hasn't worked in a couple of weeks. She does have roadside assistance, so right now we're waiting for them to come and give her a jump.

And now, as I type this, Bart just got out of his bed, (which he's been lying in all morning), and came in to visit me, walking around my feet under the computer desk. He does look like he's walking straighter. Ray thinks maybe the blow caused shock to his spinal cord or something, and it's just taking awhile for him to get everything back in working order. Hopefully, that's all it is. And Jess just came in now, after her car was jumped. It's running, so as soon as it warms up a bit, we're off to the vet.