First, there was the "Chicken Bone" incident on Wednesday night. We were eating supper and Paul dropped the chicken leg on the floor. Before he could reach down and grab it, the dogs were both there, snatching it up! The leg was gone!!! We figured Niki had gotten there first, so we palpated her throat and felt "the bone." She was in no distress, but we couldn't decide whether to freak and panic or not.
"Chicken bones are bad for dogs."
That's the mantra I'd grown up hearing. We were somewhat relieved to find that many people had written to say that their dogs had gone through the same experience without any trouble. There were things to watch out for, of course. But aside from the chewed-up and splintered bones that caused intestinal problems, it didn't sound too bad.
But still... I worried.
Thursday afternoon I called my vet's office for advice. She suggested I bring Niki down for a quick x-ray.
Half an hour later, the vet called me into the back room to show me the results. No bone. Not a sliver of a bone. Not a shadow of a bone. Nothing. Nada.
I handed him Igor's leash.
"DO HIM."
20 minutes later, we're looking at the inch-long piece of bone. It had passed through his stomach, where it obviously lost much mass and was proceeding along nicely. The vet reminded me to keep an eye on Igor's output for the next day or so, just to make sure that it didn't cause any problems on the way out.
Today is Friday. He seems fine.
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Friday morning:
I was sitting in bed with a cup of coffee, Niki and Igor plastered against my sides, and reading one of the Mook's books (the "Fablehaven" series by Brandon Mull). Suddenly Niki started barking. She'd spotted something down the road. I looked and spotted my neighbour down the way on his driveway throwing rocks at what appeared to be my neighbour's turkeys. I picked up my handy-dandy always-on-the-headboard binoculars (cuz you never know when a whale or seal or dolphin or what-not are going to show up in the bay) and took a better look.
Not turkeys! He was throwing rocks at a trio of small dogs! His own dog was cringing further up the driveway while he took threatening steps towards these poor little critters. They took off at a run in the direction of my house. I grabbed Niki off the bed, called to Igor, threw my housecoat on, and ran for the front door.
Chaaaaarge!!!! Christine to the rescue!!!
The three little dogs were sniffing around our shed by the time I got outside, and my lovely neighbour, Regina (Hi Regina!!!) was also outside in her housecoat. (We're such a pair!)
Mama, papa, and baby dog. Such friendly little things! The little one, not very old, maybe 4 months, came dashing over for a cuddle while her parents danced around me in a frenzy of delight. Such sweeties!
I brought them onto my front porch and checked their collars for identification. Lo and behold, they ALL had DOG TAGS with their HOME PHONE NUMBER!!!! (Regina had already recognized the dogs and had gone for the phone to call their owner.)
HOORAY!!!!
I called their home, and their anxious dad was down within minutes to fetch the little darlings. He had fed them their breakfast and let them out for a quick potty, whereupon they decided to go for a wander! (They crossed Torbay Road!!!) I'm relieved that they made it across safe and sound, particularly since they had a puppy with them.
Now, here's what really gets me:
The good feelings associated with re-uniting the dogs and their owner are so strong that it made me feel all good inside all day! I'm still running on the fuel from that. The wriggly little puppy was so adorable, and the two adults were such sweet-natured things! Their dad was thrilled to find them safe and sound!
It took so little time and effort on my part. But it produced such happiness!
So... how could the big bad man down the way be so mean-spirited that he was compelled to throw rocks at these little dogs instead of helping them find their way home? It doesn't take much to be a Good Samaritan.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
I heard there was a sale on at the Avalon Mall, so I grabbed the girl-child and went shopping. We weren't very motivated to spend money, but enjoyed the time together. Pumpkin-Spice Lattes (decaf for the child) and Red Velvet Cake were delicious memories in short order.
We'd stopped off at the jewelry store upstairs... "Icing," where the girl-child and I hunted for just the right earrings for her. A woman nearby dropped a package of earrings on the floor next to her foot. She continued poking through the earrings and then walked away! I asked her if she wasn't going to pick up the package of earrings. She looked at me, looked at the earrings on the floor and said "It's not my problem."
Um... huh??
"But you dropped them!" I protested.
She walked away.
I commented loudly to my girl-child that she should never become such a rude person. I mentioned the word "cow" in the context of rude people. She assured me that such a thing would never happen.
Five minutes later the woman, shopping completed, paused on her way out the door and said, "Next time, mind your own business."
Without pausing to think, I shot back with, "You know, lady, if everyone was like you, there'd be a whole lotta shit lying around."
It felt good to have a rebuttal.
For the next time, and you know there WILL be a next time, I must memorize the following phrase:
"If everyone was like you, honey, we'd be waist-deep in shit."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Well, that's my day so far. My son is making from-scratch pizza. I think there's still some blueberry wine in the fridge. Life is good.
