The Mystery Injury

Could Mary have been right? Was it "the other dog"?

I looked at Ruby. She raised her eyebrows. She lolled her head. She wagged her tail. Could a dog half Rex's size have hurt him? Was sibling rivalry that devious?

Ruby nose-flipped my hand. She wanted to be petted.

Rex's Possible Injuries:

1. While jumping like a bucking bronco, he bumps his back leg on something initially unknown to him. A table, a stair step, one of the standing metal candle holders.

2. Jodi throws the tennis ball for him in the backyard. He tears off to retrieve it, jumping onto the jagged, wooden stump in the middle of the yard. Later, a sprain materializes.

3. Ruby -- angry and jealous of all the attention the new addition to the family is getting -- lifts a furry, black paw and pushes an unsuspecting Rex down the three steps leading to the fenced back yard.

4. Rex, like the lion he is, gets a sliver in his enormous paw and plays up the drama in order to get the cool yellow and green paw print bandage the vet assistant wrapped around his ankle after drawing blood for tests.

5. Rex is seven years old. His arthritis is acting up. His joints will get stiff and sore. This is normal for a dog his age, and it will probably flare up again. Good thing we have Rimadyl on hand.

And Ruby is an angel. She would never hurt anyone. I pet Ruby's shiny black coat, giving her the attention she has been craving.