Marley and Me....and Max

Our second week of 'on the road' trips---a show in Amarillo (5 hours away) and then a short hop down to Lubbock (2 hour drive)---then home---another 5 hour drive....so we are off...

Gordon brings a book on CD for us to listen to---Marley & Me....by John Grogan---a book about a guy and his dog....its being made into a movie with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson....its a great story and we are all listening to it--makes the drive go a lot faster.

We arrive in Amarillo and check into our hotel---Fifth Season Inn---very nice, a little oldish---but nice. We relax a bit and then head out about 715 to find something to eat. Tim and I are walking to the car and I see a yellow dog, about 50 lbs or so, walking towards the freeway...and its raining just a bit....anyway--the dog....I say to Tim "That dog is trying to cross the freeway---he's gonna get hit". The hotel is right on the frontage road. We watch as the dog crosses to the median of the freeway---but its one of those concrete medians that you cant cross---so poor Mutt is confused and starts to walk against traffic on the freeway.

Gordon comes out and we get in the car---I look up and the dog is sitting in the middle lane of the freeway----we realize that he CANT stand up---his back end must have gotten hit---"We gotta do something" says Gordon---so he runs up the grass and crosses the frontage road and heads towards Mutt. Mutt can move his front legs---but can only drag his back legs---broken hip maybe? no obvious thru-the-skin type injury to be seen. You can imagine that Mutt is scared and in pain---not a good combination for a dog----Gordon is talking to him to calm him down....I've stopped traffic at the access road---Gordon is stopping the traffic in the near lane of the freeway---the far lane has traffic breezing by. Tim has gone into the hotel to find an emergency clinic. Gordon reaches for Mutt---who BITES Gordon right on the finger---left index! @%#$@ I'm sure---Gordon reaches Mutt's scruff of the neck and picks him and hightails it to the sidewalk by the hotel....blood everywhere---Gordon's blood. We get a towel under Mutt's head and Tim gets the vet's number off the rabies collar....but we only get the answering service....they suggest animal control or the police.
The hotel is helping us find an after hours vet place---Gordon is out on the sidewalk with Mutt...we get more towels---Gordon picks up Mutt again and puts him in the towel-lined backseat of our RAV4...and we are off to find a vet. I'm talking to Mutt as Gordon drives. We find the emergency clinic and Gordon takes Mutt in...Tim & I follow. The vet tech there takes Mutt and says Mutt will be quarantined for 10 days due to the bite. They will try to find the owners---but..... We give Gordon's contact information so they can let him know if the dog tests positive for rabies---but the collar charm says Mutt got his rabies shot 2007---so he should be fine. The tech offers Gordon some hydrogen peroxide to clean out the bite on his finger---one really good solid puncture wound. He wraps it up in some lovely bright green flexi-tape. We head out to find an after hours clinic for Gordon or at least a pharmacy.
We find a Walgreens type pharmacy---they help us look for an after hours clinic---which apparently there are only 3 in Amarillo---AND THEY ALL CLOSE AT 8! so Gordon gets some antibacterial bandaids and more hydrogen peroxide...and we head out to Outback Steakhouse.

Dinner conversation is, of course, about Mutt...and how ironic that we were just listening to Marley & Me. Gordon is our hero!
That is the end of the story---or so we thought.

A good show in Amarillo and we are off to Lubbock---Gordon's finger isnt too bad--tender but usable----we hit our hotel in Lubbock and settle in. Gordon gets a phone call. FROM MUTT'S FATHER/owner!
Mutt is Max---8 yrs old---been missing for 3 weeks from their home in south Amarillo (our hotel was in west Amarillo)---the clinic called the vet--the vet called the owners---they get to find Max---not sure he is going to make it---broken pelvis...but they get to at least say goodbye and know that Max isnt wandering around lost. The dad was so grateful and was crying as he was talking to Gordon.
What a great ending to the story----on our way home from Lubbock we finished the book.