Sharing custody...

...of a dog is a wild ride.

We pet-share with my parents. For a myriad of reasons, that I won't bore you with, Remi lives with our family part-time and my parents part-time. Remi is a Labradoodle who was supposed to be small. He is only 9-months-old and going on 70-plus pounds. He is not a small dog.

Not only is he large, he lives life large. He wags large (watch your head if you are 1.5 yrs old). He eats large (several bowls a day). He drinks large (gallons and gallons). He sleeps large (snoring, licking himself loudly, running in his sleep). He plays large (knocking chairs over on a daily basis). And he has large accidents (I will not traumatize you with details on this one).

Yesterday was a large day, even by Remi's standards. I knew by the tone in Clark's voice that something was wrong when he shouted, "Crystal, I need you to come look at Remi, quick." Remi had been outside for just a few minutes when he frantically needed back in. He was pawing at his face and hitting his head into the floor. He was breathing, but foaming at the mouth. I thought he'd cut his mouth or had something stuck in-between his teeth. I took a warm washcloth to his snout and tried to look inside of his mouth. He refused entry and I noticed every time he tried to close his mouth, his teeth gnashed together.

To the animal emergency room, pronto.

They take a quick look at him, sedate him and say they fear a dislocated jaw or fracture. We sit, stunned, as they usher him away. We imagine feeding this bounding, bundle of dog through a tube with his jaw wired shut.We imagine the phone call to my parents to tell them this horrible news. We imagine what it will feel like if we end up going home without Remi.

The ER veterinarian emerges less than 15-minutes later with the remainder of a branch held in her fingers. With relief, she informs us, "Remi wedged this nub up into his soft-palate. No stitches were necessary. Watch him closely for infection and do not leave him unattended for the next 24-hours. He is on narcotics and may not be himself for awhile."

While we decide that while we like the "Remi-on-narcotics" version of our dog, we appreciate his reckless-abandon toward life with new perspective. Remi is an adventure.