Every time he saunters into the room, I smile. He has a small but powerful body. His main hobbies are eating and playing funny tricks on us at home. Toilet paper is a special toy for him. He can wrap an entire room in five seconds flat. Persistent and loving, he walks with a swagger that tells you here I am, take it or leave it. You then realize, you must take it, he is just that cute. He hurt his back last year going up and down the stairs very fast as well as jumping from high places. I had no idea how to keep him from further hurting himself. Then finally while brainstorming, I came up with the idea to put him in a playpen. In order to give his back a chance to heal; he was in the playpen all the time. Now, he sleeps in the playpen and the funny thing is- he loves sleeping in it. He made that playpen is own exclusive domain. He must have his own sheet, pillow and a blanket to cover the top of his playpen. I suppose he wants it to be a tent or maybe just incognito. I have not figured it out yet. His name is Sunnie. This is a great name for him as he lights up a room with the warmth of the sun each time he enters it. He is a little overweight, and has the most beautiful reddish brown short hair. His eyes are huge and dark; and it even looks like he wears eyeliner under his eyes. He loves to leisurely walk around the pool with his brother Jiggs. Together they look so cute until that moment, while rounding a corner Sunnie gives Jiggs a shove with his hip and lands Jiggs in the water. Sunnie just keeps walking and never looks back. If you look carefully at Sunnie; I swear you will see a little smile Sometimes he has a temper and if you are not paying attention to him, he will pee on the floor just to show you who he thinks is boss! By now, you have guessed that Sunnie is a dog. Not just any dog. He is my smiles. Barking his is main pastime. I know that would annoy many but I enjoy it. I believe the sound of his barking means he is happy and healthy. I found this to be true in a very profound way. Recently Sunnie stopped barking. For two days, he made no sound at all. That was very odd and scary. On the third day, Sunnie adamantly refused his food. Since he loves to eat, this was quickly becoming a very grave situation. He then started drinking lots of water, great gulps at a time. Trying to overcome my fear, I took Sunnie to our veterinarian. After running a blood test, he said that Sunnie had acute kidney disease and there was nothing to be done for him. I was panicked, sick, and heartbroken. I decided to take Sunnie to a Special Care clinic that only dealt with the critically ill. After taking a blood test, the doctor came into the examining room with a very sad look on her face. I was told that Sunnie’s kidney values were so bad that they were off the charts! I could not believe this; internally, I was screaming. I felt that my heart was just going to shatter in a million pieces. As the doctor continued to explain, I began to feel faint. I did not want to hear her say that Sunnie should be put to sleep. Instead, I heard her say “Look, this is a long shot, but perhaps with fluid therapy Sunnie’s kidneys might just improve enough for him to eat and live a little longer.” I was so excited to have an alternative to the dreaded eternal sleep. I told the doctor to do whatever she had to do to save my Sunnie. Slowly very slowly, the fluid therapy started to work and Sunnie’s blood tests began to show some promising results. It was four days before Sunnie was able to eat and keep the food down. I was told there were other specialists that came in and examined Sunnie. They all fell in love with him. Sunnie would let them do whatever was needed to be done. Each night that I went to visit Sunnie it seemed that the doctors had found another serious disease or aliment. The first was Cushing's disease. This disease causes the production of excess hormones from the adrenal glands. The second concern was severe dental disease that can cause kidney infections and if left untreated can cause kidney failure. There are a few more that I cannot remember their names. I prayed and kept praying. Then after six days, I was permitted to take Sunnie home. The doctor loaded me up with many different types of medicines plus an IV unit. Each morning I give Sunnie an IV of fluids under his skin. He hates having the IV and he twists and turns until the needle falls out of his neck. Finally, after an hour the fluids are complete. Sunnie looks like a camel with a big bulge on his neck where the fluids stay until they are absorbed under his skin. Feeding time turned out to be another challenge. Dogs that have kidney failure must eat a special food. Unfortunately, Sunnie hates the food and Jiggs his brother who does not need the food loves it. Just my luck. To get Sunnie to eat I have to put some flavored gravy on the food. He does eat it, but if the gravy dries up Sunnie will just spit the food out wherever. Don't you just love him? After eating, liquid medicine is given into his mouth with a syringe. This is to ensure that he keeps all food down. Would you be surprised if I told you that Sunnie hates the liquid and unless you get it down his throat, he will, (you guessed it) spit it out. This week Sunnie had a blood test and to the shock of the doctors, his numbers are still coming down. Now please do not get me wrong Sunnie is still in kidney failure, but just the fact that the numbers are going down is a miracle. Actually a gift. For each additional day Sunnie is with me... that is a gift. Thinking back, all of this would have been avoided if I had only known to have yearly blood tests taken. Our veterinarian never suggested it. I have learned that it is vital to try catch things early. Take my advice if you have a cat or dog, have a blood test taken for kidneys, heart, and any other disease your trusted friend may be susceptible to. Please think of Sunnie, “My Smiles,” as he battles to remain here with us. His condition can reverse at anytime, but for now, I look at him and smile. Each day that I have Sunnie with me is a gift from above. I look up, give thinks and smile.