GRANDQUEST COMPASS ROSE, RN, WC, CC, CGC Rosie's Pedigree
photo by Carol Stevens  (adigitalmoment.com)		photo by Carol Stevens  (adigitalmoment.com)
	She Doesn’t Know She’s Broken by Robin Anderson, Grampian Labradors member LRC inc, Yankee Waterfowlers Hunting Retriever Club, and LRCGB

(this article appeared in the Summer 2006 issue of the LRC NEWS)

Rosie ran her first ever agility trial at the 2005 Labrador National Specialty. So what? So did lots of dogs. Some even ‘Q’d and Rosie didn’t. Big deal, you might think.

It is a big deal. Rosie is a nine-year-old black Lab purchased to be a performance dog, but by the time she was three and half months old, she couldn’t walk. She played with her pack mates lying down. She ran dragging first one hind leg and then another. People remarked on what a ‘good’ puppy she was because she didn’t jump up, counter surf, or act like a maniac. Rosie couldn’t do those things. She was physically unable.

Rosie had every part of her body x-rayed and manipulated by her general practice vet, her orthopedic vet, and a chiropractor from the time she was about 4 months old until her OFA films were taken. Her regular vet poo-pooed her owner for being too concerned about her troubles. Her orthopedic vet said, “She’s too small to be considered for breeding.” Not one vet Rosie saw was willing to diagnose Rosie’s true troubles.

Rosie was just over two years old when she had her OFA x-rays. On the morning her owner was going to show her at the 2002 National Specialty in breed, she hadn’t heard back from OFA, and decided to stop by the vet on the way to the show to see if they had heard anything. Apologetic eyes met hers.

“Yes. We heard. She has severe hip dysplasia with arthritic changes.”

Borrowing the copies of the films to share with friends, her owner went to the show in tears. Feeling in her heart that Rosie was doomed, Rosie’s owner showed her one last time and never let on to Rosie that this was the end of her road.

But…there are buts to every story. Friends who knew Rosie and her owner said “Don’t give up on this dog! You’re already way ahead of the game. Keep her moving. Don’t relegate her to the sofa. She’s too young and vital!” Rosie’s owner’s husband said, “Rosie doesn’t know she’s broken, so let’s not tell her.”

To keep her properly aligned, Rosie was already seeing a vet chiropractor once a month. She was on glucosamine and other supplements to support her joints and muscles. Because Rosie had seen the chiropractor every month from puppy hood, because she was road worked, swam a few times a week, and was well muscled, she was otherwise athletic and in good shape. She swam like a polliwog, jogged with sound dogs, walked for miles with her people, and sailed on her owner’s sailboat, balancing better than the human sailors. Rosie had already been to all the puppy classes, the agility classes, and the breed handling classes. She was on her feet, performing as best she could. Rosie’s admirers were right. No sofa for this dog! Rosie’s heart and courage were keeping her in every game she played.

Rosie kept up her activities…agility classes, obedience classes, matches, show n’ go’s, she even earned her CGC and an LRC Working Certificate. When her agility instructor told her owner that she was one of the best trained agility Labs in the area and she better think about competing with the dog, Rosie had a new goal: The 2005 National Specialty Agility Trial.

Rosie’s fan club was ringside to cheer her on. In the pouring rain Rosie ran jumpers with weaves. She ran her little heart out, nailing the weave poles better than she had ever done it in practice. This was the dog who other people might have given up on because of the OFA results. She ran her first agility trial and didn’t ‘Q’. She stayed on her feet better than her handler, did everything her handler asked of her and more, and finished each course knowing she was the star of the moment.

There is hope after a diagnosis of hip dysplasia. Don’t lose heart. Don’t jump to surgery before exploring other options. Your dog doesn’t know she’s ‘broken’, so don’t tell her and she’ll do what she can to please you.