One Photo; One Story: Munson Dog.
Every morning this little rascal Munson wakes us up with a hug and a kiss on the cheek (actually, a lick on the cheek). Sometimes he growls like a monster, he’s not a monster he just wants you to pet him. Other times we have to feed him with a spoon because he’s stubborn. He’s been here in his forever home for four years now.
Munson came to us four years ago July 4, 2015. We adopted him a few months after our dog Seamus crossed the rainbow bridge.
We were devastated over his loss. We had two dogs Seamus and Cora. Cora was rescued from a puppy mill and her and Seamus were best friends. Seamus taught Cora how to live like a normal dog. She spent many years in a whelping box just breeding. She had never slept in a bed or heard music or felt grass. He was her best friend. After a lonely two months we decided to find Cora another friend.
June of 2015, Kelly saw Munson (named Skip at the time) on the pet adoption listing from Puppy Love Pet Rescue of Toms River, New Jersey. They received over 100 inquiries about him. Kelly wrote a letter telling them about Cora and Seamus. She described how Cora was thriving with her friend that she had just lost and how sad she was.
On July 4, 2015 Munson found his forever home and has become a great friend to Cora and our family. We learned quickly that he is a well-behaved dog. He knew how to sit and fetch the ball. He is very patient with Cora who is much older and instinctively knew she was special.
Munson has some interesting quirks. He hates anything that flies. Insects and large birds make him absolutely nuts. If we are walking along and a large bird soars overhead he is practically uncontrollable. Perhaps in Mississippi he had an incident with a bird of some type. One month after he came home, we were driving on a nice summer evening through the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge just a few miles from our house. Forsythe is a bird sanctuary just north and west of Atlantic City. When we are driving with the dogs in the car they are strapped in. On this day we were driving five miles per hour and thought we’d let them just watch the world pass by, so we unhooked them (never again). *Public Service Announcement: Always use safety belts.
Cora slept on Kelly’s lap and Munson lay on the floor. As we drove enjoying the scenery a green head fly buzzed through the open window and Munson raised his head. As the fly buzzed around the car he became restless and Kelly moved him to the space next to Cora. A bird caught Munson’s attention outside and he raised his head to look out of the window. Suddenly, he jumped from the moving car. I heard him yelp and my heart sunk. I wasn’t sure if he were alive or dead. Kelly scooped him up and could tell he was hurt but didn’t know how badly.
We drove Munson to Red Bank Animal Hospital in Linwood, New Jersey. He had fractured his pelvis and his right femur. The emergency veterinarian told us Munson would need extensive surgery involving pins and plates upwards of $5500. We were told to consult the next day with the orthopedist, a wonderful veterinarian named Dr. Diefenderfer. “Dr. D” told us that he did not believe surgery would be satisfactory.
He than showed us his little dog who was hit by a car. Dr. D said that he had the same injuries as Munson. The little dog was running with nothing more than a limp.
It was only 30 days and we had broken our dog. It’s a lesson in our house that safety should always come first. The dogs are never loose in a moving car.
Munson was given pain pills and required crate rest.
We put our mattress on the floor and slept next to him for the several weeks of his recovery, we bonded as a family.
Every day he got stronger. As he became able to walk more comfortably, Kelly gave him laser treatments three times a week for the next year.
Now we are together four years and Munson is a happy playful Jack Russell. Every morning he wakes up with kisses and hugs. He and Cora like going to the dog park. He loves his squeaky ball and vacation and playing monster. The only evidence of his injury is occasional soreness from playing too hard. *One more reminder: Always crate or use seatbelts for your dog and your safety.
Happy Gotcha Day Munson, We Love You.