Day 1183

Dot received a much more encouraging prognosis at the vet than I was expecting. She doesn't have an ACL tear, which is very good news. She doesn't have severe Spondylosis either, which is equally encouraging. Even the muscle atrophy in her rear legs seems commensurate with her age. There is still something wrong of course. Today's visit was more to rule out life threatening immediate dangers than to get to the bottom of things. That will take time. While Dot and I were at the clinic, my vet showed me her first book, which had just been published. It is a sweet, beautifully illustrated children's book about a girl and an injured Dalmatian. The book gets its title from the fact that Dalmatians can smile. Dot and Dash frequently give me a big smile whenever I return home. I was really impressed with the book, and it isn't just because I love Dalmatians. The book is a heartwarming story that would make a great gift for any child who likes animals. I'm sure Dr. Barton would be extremely happy if a few of you would go to Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble and buy a copy of Smile for a friend, or for yourself.

I was surprised to get the Defender 90 back from the shop today. Based on previous experience, I was convinced that it would take months to get the repairs done. Probably the dealer was in a hurry to get the cool little Evoque they loaned me back before I put a dent in it. This car was brand new and had less than 200 miles on it. I definitely wouldn't have minded driving the futuristic little Evoque for a few more days. I've never driven a car that didn't need an ignition key before. It was also cool to have a video view of what was behind you appear on the dash every time you put the car in reverse. Electronically, the Evoque seems as sophisticated as the space shuttle. I wonder how long it will last though. Probably not nearly as long as my Defender. The Defender may not have many bells and whistles, but it's built like a tank.

The day was full of surprises. In addition to the good news about Dot and the surprising early return of my car, there was also the reappearance of my missing client. Some of you may remember me telling you about a client that I was convinced had forgotten about me. It turns out that they hadn't forgotten me at all. They had just forgotten to check and see if their e-mail account was working. For over a month, these guys had been sending e-mails out and never questioning the fact that they never, ever got a reply to their messages. Eventually, they figured out that their e-mail account wasn't working and started calling people on the phone. I don't know about you, but I don't think it would take me a month to figure out that my e-mail account wasn't working. I bet within five minutes, someone would be calling me to complain that they hadn't received their files yet.

Some of you probably think I already spend too much time walking the dogs. I think it's going to take me even longer in the weeks to come. I have to walk Dot and Dash separately for a while to keep Dot from overexerting herself trying to keep up with Dash. There just aren't enough hours in the day. I don't think switching to Daylight Saving Time saved anything at all.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day