Day 3261

Dash got a good report card today. Nobody said he was healthy, but he was very well behaved. I think the vet was as surprised as we were. Considering that Dash had to endure a number of procedures he normally hates, I was amazed. The vet was able to draw blood for a necessary test, give him a Bordetella shot, express his anal glands, and trim his nails without much of a fuss. The little guy made us proud.

I feel much better now that his nails have been trimmed. They grow rapidly since the protective boots keep them from being worn down on walks. I remember how much he bled the day he ripped his dew claw out and I don't ever want that to happen while he's taking blood thinners.

Now that Dash has survived his trip to the vet, I need to start thinking about this weekend's Santa Paws photos. I tested my back-up camera today and began charging batteries. I'll continue checking equipment for the rest of the week so everything will be ready by Saturday morning. My equipment is getting older now and I don't entirely trust it. I'd hate to have to replace something at the last minute, but hopefully everything will last for one more year.  I hope I last for one more year as well. I'm not very agile anymore and photographing pets is hard on my knees and shoulders.

The good news is that we're only doing two events this year. We used to do more, but the volunteers and I are all getting older. The Santa photos are still quite popular, so we should have a good turnout. In recent years people have started bringing their children as well as their pets because they say we are much better than the shopping mall Santas. It's amazing how long we have been doing this for Dalmatian Rescue. The team we've put together over the years is very good. I'm probably the only grumpy one in the bunch.

Christmas is definitely on the horizon. In addition to preparing for this weekend's Santa Paws events, I put our Christmas tree up this afternoon. We haven't bought any ornaments for quite a while, but luckily very few of the ornaments have broken. I don't think I broke anything today. Everything on the tree is a Dalmatian. We used to buy Dalmatian ornaments whenever we would see one, but we ran out of room on the tree a long time ago. If we break ornaments now, we can always get a smaller tree.

Our vet had never seen the slip-in bandages Dash wore to his exam before. She was interested in getting some for the clinic. It weird that Janet and I have inadvertently become experts at protecting a dog's feet. I guess necessity is still the mother of invention. It's too bad we haven't come up with a way to make Dash's legs stronger. If he could walk normally we wouldn't need all the protective gear. Amazingly, we may even need more gear in the future. The vet detected some instability in Dash's left knee today. He may need to wear a brace on both rear legs at some point.

I watched the latest episode of the National Geographic Mars series after I finished my chores today. The story arc is still pretty interesting, but I don't like the show's format. They continually switch back and forth between the present and the future in an effort to show that the Earth could wind up like Mars if we don't quit screwing up the planet. Everything they say is true, but the show is far too preachy for my taste. Dr. Who has become the same way. Can't we have a good old fashioned adventure without all the social justice and environmental lessons?

Janet said that we have to get up early tomorrow because she has to leave the house at 8 AM. Piece of cake. Dash has been waking me up early for months now. Just pick a time. I'll probably already be up cleaning up poop.

Scooter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3036

Dash surprised everybody today. He was well behaved at the vet. He didn't act up or bark in the car. He let the nurse take his blood pressure. He didn't squirm or try to escape when the vet gave him the rabies shot. Maybe Dash has turned over a new leaf. This was the first time he's been a good dog at the vet in many months. We'll have to go back for a Leptospirosis shot in May, but hopefully vet appointment won't be as frequent now that the blood clot worries have subsided a bit.

Dash was eager to take a walk when we returned from our vet appointment, so breakfast was very late this morning. At least Dash took a nice walk. He's pretty reliable in the morning, but I still have trouble getting him to leave the house in the afternoon. Nothing is predictable with Dash anymore. I was totally surprised at how good he was at the vet today. I never know what he's going to eat at any given time, and I can never predict when he's in the mood for an afternoon walk. They say dogs like a predictable routine. Not Dash. He likes to mix things up.

It's weird that only two days after that Sixty Minutes report about how terrible Allegiant Airlines is that an engine exploded on a Southwest Airlines flight and killed a passenger. Southwest has a good safety record, so I guess you never know when your number is up. I'm certainly going to be reluctant to sit in a window seat again. I'm certain that the poor woman who almost got sucked out of the plane never expected that a routine flight to Dallas would be her last.

I hate stories like this because I have enough fears and phobias already. I definitely don't need to add fear of flying to the list. I rarely stay out late at night anymore. I find driving in heavy traffic stressful. When I go to a restaurant I wonder if I'm going to get food poisoning. I'm always looking for snakes when I walk Dash. Nothing seems safe anymore. This isn't a great way to live, but I don't think I'm being paranoid. Just turn on the evening news tonight and you'll probably agree with me about the state of the world.

I almost called my accountant today to remind him to file my taxes. Luckily, I realized how ridiculous this would sound and didn't make the call. I think I actually did do this a few years ago and the accountant just laughed at me. Jeez. I've got to learn to trust people. At least a little.

I wonder if Barbara Bush will be the last person in the political arena to be loved and respected by everybody. I'm hearing praise and tributes from both sides of the political fence tonight. It's probably the end of an era.

The national news wasn't good today, but it wasn't a bad day for a recluse like me. I was pleased that the stock market went up again and even more pleased that Dash was a good boy at the vet.

Bella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day