DRI's

Having a puppy is fun, they are cute, adorable and bundles of energy. They also have the capacity to be incredibly clumsy. I am constantly covered in bruises from what we refer to as DRI's - Dembe related injuries. Currently I am sporting a bruise on my chin that goes onto my neck, that one is from where he smacked his head into my chin climbing onto my lap during a break at agility training on Sunday. It was only yesterday ( Tuesday ) that I noticed the bruise.... just goes to show you how much attention I paid to myself from Monday through to Tuesday at 6pm. My chin was sore but not sore enough for me to bother looking. It actually just looks like I have smeared dark eye shadow across my face. I just wish it felt like that. As you can see it has made a bit of a mess. Thankfully with my head in a normal position its not really visible.

I have really noticed that I am bruising much more easily since stopping my contraceptive pill back in December. I sported a similar bruise in the same location that turned a lovely shade of yellow in the week leading up to Christmas. That again was a DRI, caused by him running through the tunnel at agility training and barrelling into me with excitement. I hate the fact I mark so easily. The way I injure myself by doing the simplest things is just so frustrating. Just Dembe climbing onto my lap is enough for me to come out in bruises up and down my thighs.

Some of it has been caused by puppy exuberance, which is to be expected. Back in December 2006 Willow ( Weimaraner ) managed to slash my eyelid open ( completely so you could see the yellow fat beneath the skin ) . All she did was bat me with her paw as we were playing. Her nails were razor sharp and that was enough to tear the delicate skin of my eyelid. As I couldn't get the wound on my eyelid to close, weirdly there was very little blood, I ended up having to get Jay out of work to take me to the minor injuries unit so I could have my eyelid steri stripped together ( paper stitches ) . I had to wear those for a week, thankfully the wound closed beautifully and bizarrely for someone with EDS there is no scar. Normally I heal really badly and get strange looking scars, thankfully with this it didn't happen.

I forgot to mention as I was putting my shoes on last night Dembe managed to poke me in the eye with his nose. I am still trying to work out how the hell it happened and it bloody hurt having your eye ball prodded by a 30 kilo Labrador. I was minding my own business when he came up and did it. So it isn't down to me being clumsy that these injuries are occurring. Sometimes the injuries are my own fault as I have been playing with him and have got him too excited so he then moves around without thinking. Bless him as soon as I yelped last night and put my hand to my eye, he rushed up onto the sofa and was trying to kiss me to ensure I was ok and he wasn't in trouble. It is very hard to ever be cross with him when he is just so bloody cute.

I have to be really careful when Dembe is excited as he is like a very exuberant toddler chucking himself around. He is so funny as his whole body wags along with his tail when he is very pleased with himself. His ears go flat to his head and he likes to parade around with whatever toy it is he has in his mouth. He loves to clamber up on to my lap no matter where we are. He has always done this at home but on Sunday for the first time he did it at Dog Agility training - which is where I have got my bruise from and in a break last night during obedience training he decided that he needed a cuddle from his mum and made himself comfortable on my lap, much to the amusement of everyone else in the room. The fact that he is 14 months old this week and no longer a tiny pup seems to have passed him by. As the dog trainer said last night "mum why has your lap shrunk?"

By far the worst DRI I have received to date was my eye injury in April, April Fools day to be precise but this was no laughing matter. Again it was a total fluke kind of accident and about 80% my fault as I had been playing with Dembe and messing about, bringing him up to fever pitch. How this didn't end up more serious than just a flesh wound I have no idea. I only managed to close my eye at the very last moment.

I shudder to think the damage that could have been done had my eye been open and he had dragged his claw against my eyeball. This one hurt a lot and I screamed, poor Dembe freaked right out and ran upstairs into my bedroom and hid. Despite the fact my wound was bleeding and it was just sooooo painful, I slowly made my way upstairs to console Dembe and ensure that he was ok and he knew that everything was alright. The thought that my scream had upset him was far worse than the DRI I had endured. Of course as soon as he knew it was all ok he showered me in kisses. He hates to think that he has done anything to displease you or hurt you. In that respect he is very self aware. Its just a shame he is such a bloody clutz....like me!

Just quickly as I bring this blog post to an end my trapped nerve in my neck has come back and it is worse than ever. I see the physiotherapist next week. I haven't seen her for far too long. You'd have thought with all the sewing I was doing in the run up to Christmas it would have flared up then but there was absolutely nothing. I got out of bed one morning last week, turned my head and bang it was back. It is the first time it has come on like that. So I have spent quite a lot of time in my soft collar trying to help lengthen my neck and un-trap the nerve.