ella enchanted

by lea
(crittenden,ly)

The night I meet Ella, she was four months old. She had been bought from a local farmer as a toy for the couple’s young child. When she grew, as pyrs tend to do, she became unwelcome. As I understand she did not meet their standards and was kicked down the stairs and out into a freezing rain. This landed her between an interstate and a railroad track.

Overwhelmed by her beauty, I spent several hours coaxing her into my car, after confirming fifty dollars would solve the ownership issue, I headed to the local shelter. Funny thing about ice storms, they close roads, our only option was to four-wheel it home. Fortunately, the resident pyr, husky, calico, Maine coon cat, the geeko, the horse, the kids and the husband all said welcome to the family.

Last Friday our community got hit by tornadoes. When my kids got home from school, they were playing in the yard instead of taking cover from the f3 tornado coming toward our home. Ella jumped her five foot woven wire fence and barked them into the house. The storm did change paths and missed us by one mile. She was very brave.

Unfortunately, what we thought was a jump driven by adrenaline was just a routine feat. The next day, while we were at work, she jumped again, but this time got hit by a car. She has nerve damage to her right front leg, internal bleeding, resolved, a punctured lung, healing, a swollen spinal cord and a bladder infection. She is home now, but can not get up without the help of two. The docs think she may have to have the leg amputated. Any body with experience in getting her through this, she seems stoic about the pain, but really upset at not being able to get up herself. Worse of all she has not uttered one bark since she got hit five days ago.