It was the perfect nap for dreaming … a snooze so long I had time to fantasize about everything my little doggie mind could imagine. In one dream, I was frolicking in a field. In another I was eating a steak dinner. In my favorite, I got braces to fix my underbite. But as happy as my dreams were, my pain was equally awful when the nap ended.

If memory serves, I woke up at the doctor’s office in a tiny crate, but the lack of space didn’t matter. I hurt so much that I couldn’t move an inch. My medicine-induced snooze ended with a jolt back to reality and painful memories of getting hit by a car. The doctor said I had a bad hip fracture – bad enough that he insisted I stay with him for a month. It would take that long for him to manage my pain and get me up and running again.

And let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. The pain was paralyzing, so everything was difficult: eating, scratching, going potty, even sleeping. I made a habit of crying for attention here and there, which I’m pretty darn good at. The highlight of my days, however, was my human visitor. Her name was Jennifer, and she was the one who rescued me from the street. My recovery would’ve been much harder without her.

Getting back on my feet seemed to take eons. When Jennifer finally picked me up from the doctor’s office, my front paws worked well enough to drag my body around, but the back side of me was still immobile. Nonetheless, I couldn’t have been happier to take a ride in her car. Our trip seemed to last forever but was totally worth it — our final destination was a brick building filled with lots of people and even more dogs.

I immediately felt at home and plopped myself behind a big desk, where people started waiting on me hand and foot. And the best part? Happy dogs came in and out of this building all day long. It took me a while, but I finally realized I was at a doggie hotel — a magical place where I was always meeting new friends.

Even though it was painful, I got up everyday to greet dogs, test out their big fluffy beds when they weren’t looking, and get treats and attention from people. Honestly, it felt like I won the lottery and I never wanted it to end. All I knew was that I loved this place, and the people seemed to love me, so I took things day by day and just hoped everything would work out for the best.

To be continued next week …