Jasper, our Miniature Schnauzer, had some teeth removed last week, and anytime our dog is put under anesthesia, I worry about her. She came through the surgery just fine, and as I begin this week’s report she is lying on the couch semi-stoned as she comes down from the anesthesia. Right now she’s staring blankly at a throw pillow. The Schnauzer breed is notorious for dental problems, and while we did follow the breeder’s instructions regarding dental hygiene, apparently not well enough, Jasper got an infected tooth which in turn spread to other teeth,. That oversight on our part necessitated a large set of extractions. Have you ever tried to brush a dog’s teeth? It’s not so easy. Anyhow, it’s always something with pets, and veterinarians charge a LOT of money for their services. In Canada, vets can charge more than human doctors. Last summer one of our carpenters had a dog that contracted Lysteria, probably from drinking tainted water, and the bill for that little disaster came to around two thousand dollars. At least the dog survived! When we took our last Schaunzer to an eye doctor in Toronto, there was a woman there in the waiting room with a Pug. The dog had diabetes and had already had several eye surgeries. She was not a wealthy woman and had already spent over ten thousand bucks on that dog. If you’re not a dog person, you’d probably say, “how much for the needle?”, but as a dog lover, I understand how we become indelibly attached to our pets. I can’t understand how pet lovers can feel the same attachment for a cat, or a parakeet, or heaven forbid, a snake, but I accept that there are all kinds of animal lovers in the world. At least they love SOMETHING living. My friend in Buffalo has a black lab which I adore, and she got sick last week. You want to say “that’s what you get for eating dog poop,” but what’s the point … they never listen. My sister had a Golden Lab that turned out to be autistic. Another had hip dysplasia. I love Miniature Schnauzers because they have lots of personality and they are very smart. The breeder from whom we acquired Jasper is probably one of the best Miniature Schnauzer breeders in the country, and despite the dental problem, Jasper has so far been healthy (knock on wood). There are a lot of irresponsible breeders in the world, and our last Schnauzer, which came from a different breeder, was really sick for most of her life. It’s simply getting harder and harder to find good, healthy purebred dogs. As human beings we frown upon inbreeding, because, as we all know, if you inbreed, you end up having offspring who look like that banjo player in “Deliverance”. Why then is it O.K. to inbreed animals? Of course we also prohibit the practice of euthanasia in human beings, even though some would welcome the option of choosing to control their own demise. Just so we’re clear, I’m suggesting a “no” to the banjo player, but a “yes” to pulling the plug on Grampa, if he wants you to and is mentally capable of making that important decision.
Final comments … I just watched the SNL that Betty White hosted, which I had PVR’d (videotaping is so passe) , and it was one of the better ones I’ve seen of late. I can’t believe they got her to perform some of those off color skits they wrote for her, but she nailed them. One in particular, which was a spoof on boring public radio shows, was laced with not-so-subtle innuendo about a lady’s private parts. I guess once a comedienne, always a comedienne, and Betty White has always had a bit of an edge to her humor. Hope you’re not vacationing in Jamaica this week. Riots broke out in Kingston over plans to extradite drug kingpin Chris Coke (appropriate name) to the U.S. for prosecution. And the Deepwater Horizon rig is STILL spewing oil 40 miles off the Louisiana coast. We have now passed the month mark; the blowout occurred April 20th, 2010. I was wondering how the volume estimates could be so varied … on the one extreme BP, with their obvious inclination towards damage control, originally estimated that oil was spewing out at about 210,000 gallons per day. Now the "experts” are suggesting that about 2- 4 MILLION gallons per day is closer to the truth. Yikes.
It’s now 8AM Tuesday morning, and I am waiting for the guy who did our stone work, to assist him in putting in a stone walkway down to the lake. I have to go now, because a groundhog is about to attack my tomato plants. Until next week …
Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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