My Dog Ate My Wedding Ring

Three years ago today, Jordan and I were preparing for a weekend away to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. As I was getting ready for the day I went to put on my wedding rings and couldn't find them. I found the engagement ring on the floor of our bedroom, and instantly thought of a sneaky little dog. I checked in all her usual hiding places - she liked to chew on things under the dining room table - but had no luck. I looked in drawers, the laundry, the sofas, everywhere, even places I knew the ring couldn't possibly.

Although we couldn't understand how or why a 12 lb dog could eat a ring, we still had our sneaky suspicions, so we called the vets to have an x-ray. They said bring her right in. By the time we got there, Banfield changed their tune and decided they needed to run a bunch of blood tests on her, needed to sedate her and keep her for the rest of the day. This seemed a little excessive for a simple x-ray. We decided to go the wait and see route.

We went on our weekend trip, which was very hard for me. You know that crazy "I've lost something but it should be right here" feeling of desperation? It was hanging over me all weekend. I felt like I should just be at home on my hands and knees with a flashlight looking in electrical outlets for my one of a kind wedding, custom made wedding band. And it was an extra punch in the stomach that exactly one year ago is when I got the ring in the first place. It just seemed like it should be ON MY FINGER, not possibly in the dogs stomach... or the toilet.

We left the dogs at my mom's house during our trip. Jelly was on a very strict poop watch. This was probably real fun for my mom; seven dogs and trying to figure out whose poop was whose so she could smash it up. After 3 days, nothing. After a week, nothing. After two weeks I think we had stopped looking in her poop.

After 2 weeks, I had come to the conclusion we were just going to have to have a new one made. We would go back to the same jeweler and hope to God he would remember what he created on the fly the first time.

After 3 weeks, as I was taking a shower, the dog threw up in the bathroom. Not uncommon, she tends to have a sensitive stomach. When I got out of the shower I noticed something black in the throw up. It was bark. And next to the bark, was my ring. My now yellow gold ring, with bits of dog hair and bark all jammed up in it ring. I don't remember picking it up, I was so gosh darn excited, but I must have. I believe I washed the slime and other doggy stomach content away, but I still don't remember doing it. I yelled "I love you Jelly" so loud she thought she was in trouble.

I do remember putting the ring in a baggy, and taking it to the jeweler. I held it up and told them my dog just threw it up, I needed it cleaned. They had to restain it white gold. I did start keeping it in a jewelry box when not on my finger.

And that's the story of when my dog ate my wedding ring