My Riley...

Most of you know that I have this dog:

Her name is Riley.

I knew what I would name her before I even met her.

And I knew she was mine the second I laid eyes on her, as she trembled in the corner of her breeder's kitchen and her crazy brothers and sister ran around barking and carrying on.

When I picked her up, I did the trick to see if she'd submit to me...You know, because I am so dominant. So, I picked her up and cradled her on her back in my arms, like a baby. And she just laid there, relaxed, and looked up at me with her big, sad, puppy-dog eyes, as if to say, "Please take me from this place and love me."

So, I did. And 20 minutes later, we were in the car and she threw up puppy poo all over my sister. The first thing we did when we got home was take a bath.

I'm worried today, friends. I need big-P's sent up for the healing of my Riley. My mom told me this morning on Chat that she had taken Riley to the vet that day. When I was home at Christmas, I noticed a lump on Riley's belly. It's only about an inch long and is the shape of an egg. I asked my parents if they had noticed it and my dad said he had just a few days before. Mom took her to have it checked out and Dr. B ran some tests on it and thinks it might be a soft tissue sarcoma, which is a type of cancer. Dr. B said that if it was her dog, she'd have it removed right away. Because my parents are going back and forth between Colorado and Maryland this school year, Riley won't be able to have the surgery until the 16th.

Please P that the surgery will go well and the results will be a relief. Please P that Riley can continue to live a healthy, happy life of a dog.

And please P that I will trust in Him to take care of my dog. It kills me that I cannot be there now, or when she has her surgery. If you've ever met Riley, you know how she is: the happiest, most loyal, most ball-obsessed little person of a dog you've ever seen.

I cannot wait to see Riley again - hopefully this summer! We are hoping we'll make it to our big family reunion in Minnesota, and Riley LOVES Minnesota.

Please, if you think of it throughout the next couple of weeks, just send up a little P for Riley. She needs it!