That Look
by  Wendy Jenkins

August 27, 2000, was a memorable day in the Jenkins' house. We adopted our two babies.

They weren't siblings -- in fact, one was black and the other fawn. Two adorable, lovable, snorfing masses of energy. And we love them dearly. Shang and his mate Mulan, whom we fondly call MuuMuu.

MuuMuu is definitely the alpha dog in our house. She thinks she rules the roost, mostly to the contemptuous chagrin of our two tiger-striped housecats, Hal and Weenie. (But that's another story.)

MuuMuu gave us quite a scare this past weekend.

We noticed one of her usually brown eyes had a definite bluish tinge to it. I got on the phone with the vet, who suggested we keep an eye on her and if the eye got any bluer, we were to take her to the emergency vet office here in town.

Well, we kept close watch on her all that day and again on Sunday. The eye seemed to be getting better as it wasn't so blue anymore. She was still eating, drinking, and playing, without any sign of pain or discomfort. We expelled a collective sigh of relief.

Just as a precaution, I took her to the vet Monday. Good thing I did.

Turns out she had punctured her cornea (ouch) by running into something. Since pug eyes are bulgy anyway, this is a common injury for the breed. The vet scheduled surgery for the next day.

I had to leave her at the vet's office overnight, since both my husband and I start work earlier than the vet opens his office.

I soothed and petted MuuMuu while the assistant prepared a kennel for the overnight visit. Muu was fine until... the assistant picked her up and started walking toward the door to the kennel room. It was then that my heart broke.

MuuMuu looked over the assistant's shoulder and shot me the most pitiful look I've ever seen on an animal. It was a look of confusion and bewilderment, coupled with total dejection and abandonment. She thought I was permanently leaving her! I had to stop the assistant and comfort my dog, easing her fears, telling her I'd be back to pick her up the next day. She weakly wagged her tail and licked my hand, telling me she understood, even as her doubt-filled eyes said otherwise. I bolted out of the office with tears in my eyes.

You see, we adopted MuuMuu and Shang from the Mid Ohio Pug Society -- a rescue organization that pairs unwanted, neglected, or abused pugs with loving families who open their hearts and homes to the suddenly uprooted dogs.

Muu gave that same look to the lady who brought Shang and Mulan to our home the day we adopted them. The lady had "fostered" the pugs in her home for a couple of weeks, shuttling them to the vet for shots and sterilization. The dogs had grown accustomed to their foster mom and her home.

MuuMuu watched as the foster mom arose from our living room floor, where we were all playing with the dogs, and headed for our front door, pausing one last time to stoop and say goodbye to the pugs. It was then that Muu gave her foster mom "that look" -- the one I described above, as if to ask, "Am I being abondoned again?" The same look I got at the vet's office. The same one that broke my heart. The same one that I will ensure this trusting, unconditional-loving, affectionate creature will never have to give another human. Ever.

Because I'm her mommy now, and I will never abandon MuuMuu or her mate.

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