An e-mail I received recently made me gasp and cringe and remember things I’d rather forget. It also reminded me that I’d be well served share a similar experience for the benefit of those who play fetch with sticks.

It started the other day with a comment.

From: Tammy
Subject: [Mr. Stick] New comment on Coming Soon to a Bookstore Near You!.
Date: Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 7:36 PM

Did your lab really swallow a stick? I laughed when I saw this because my Border Collie cost us 3 grand 2 years ago when he got a stick lodged in his throat OUCH!

My blood curdled. If you’ve not lived through a similar experience, don’t worry – by the time we cover all of the carnage you’ll feel like you were right there – like it or not.

I replied and acknowledged that we had endured a very scary week after Sola impaled herself on a stick while playing fetch in the yard. Tammy was kind enough to revisit our posts about the incident, and replied with the following:

From: Tammy Holloway
Subject: Re: [Mr. Stick] New comment on Coming Soon to a Bookstore Near You!.

Ouch! Glad he’s okay!! Take a look at the pic of my dog after 3 grand!! We “used” to throw a stick for him….It landed straight up in the grass and WHAMMO…It lodged in the back of his throat. It was horrible. We don’t throw sticks anymore :-/

Hell, after our multi-thousand dollar experience we don’t throw sticks either – as a matter of fact, when one of our dogs are spotted with one, hilarity ensues as I scramble to confiscate the offending object of desire and find a suitable replacement to distract the resident canines. I must look the fool to the average passerby. I’m quite ok with that, and you’ll understand why when you’ve had a chance to take in A Sticky Subject, the post that ruined quite a few appetites, forever changed the way we play fetch in these parts, and eventually left this mild mannered dog lover teetering on the brink of insanity.

Source: LifeWithDogs