June 25, 2022

People witnessed a dog’s collapse after being hit by a car and immediately sent us a video clip of the motionless dog in a pool of blood.

We advised the people not to move him, and we’re so glad that they didn’t because with the first touch, this completely disoriented dog exploded with random motion, not trying to flee so much as experiencing an adrenaline rush and a completely dazed brain. We worried that his brain injury would bleed, causing permanent damage, but within hours he began to show signs of slight improvement, able to focus his gaze and permit himself to be gently touched.

But the biggest surge of hope we experienced in those first frightening hours was his interest in food, and ability to coordinate his head movement enough to eat by himself. For several days we needed to watch him around the clock to make sure he didn’t lose consciousness due to brain bleeding, which is one of the dangers of concussion.

We named him Mitchell–it felt like a strong, stable, serious name for a boy who had the very serious work of healing from a head injury for many days ahead. But within a few days of light physiotherapy, Mitchell managed to stand on his own. There’s an old saying: “the rest is history.” For Mitchell, “the rest is a future.”