Dog Tales {Charle's Surgery}

We interrupt the previously scheduled packing and preparing for Zac's departure to the University of Notre Dame, and the concurrent family drive to (& from) Indiana...

Charlie can't stop wagging or licking his injured tail.

for emergency veterinary surgery to dock Charlie's severely infected tail.

Thank goodness for Uncle Craig and Aunt Bethany {Veterinarians}, who rearranged their office schedule to make way for Charlie's urgent surgery tomorrow morning.  They also agreed to keep Charlie under careful watch during our trip should his tail surgery require follow up treatments due to his fierce wagging habits and licking tendencies.  We are so fortunate to be able to travel knowing that Charlie is in such capable and loving hands.  The family taking care of our place and pets during our travels to Notre Dame will miss Charlie's antics (most of them anyway) but be relieved of the duty of following up with possible post-surgical complications. 

Rocky jumped into the traveling kennel in (false) anticipation of joining Charlie for the ride

.

The timing of Charlie's urgent heath complications leaves a bit to be desired, as our trusty van is in the shop getting a few needed pre-trip safety improvements (including front brakes) at the tune of about half a mortgage payment.  Without the van, Tim loaded Charlie, kennel and all, into his good old 4Runner for the 3+ hour trip to the vets'.  Lacking a functioning power window on the driver's side makes the transaction for ferry fare a bit awkward, but if it gets him from point A to the other point A, we're in business.

Zachary bids Charlie farewell a few days earlier than originally scheduled.

With Charlie in tow, Tim hits the road at dinner time and heads for his brother's house.

Parting is such sweet sorrow... and the sudden departure of Charlie brought home (again) the reality of a string of farewells taking place in our world about now. 

Change... 

It's in the air.

Pet Peeves {Lovable Labs}

Rocky and Charlie sunbathing on the back deck

You never know what might set these two off. Today a deer walking along the sidewalk across the street sent them into orbit. But it could have just as likely been a neighbor's cat or a squirrel in a nearby tree. When the tandem barking begins, so does our: "NO BARK!" while someone runs for the vinegar spray bottle, known as the "bad dog" remedy. Usually the barking stops long before we actually find the bottle, let alone use it.

Double barking is OBNOXIOUS, and having an extremely noise sensitive backyard neighbor with the local animal control authority on his quick dial means we stay on high alert for the least bit of barking. This particular neighbor is so sound sensitive, he once called to complain about our dogs barking when we were over 300 miles away, with the dogs!  (Needless to say, he was caught slightly off guard when we informed him that we were in another state; yet he insisted that perhaps someone had come onto our property with dogs that look and sound JUST LIKE ours.)

Loyal, playful, energetic, and slightly unpredictable, these pets make great companions and dependents for our boys.  Feeding, exercising, scooping and cleaning up after messes is part of the boys' daily routine.  Mostly Peter for Rocky and Joseph for Charlie, but with plenty of help from Ezra and Zachary, these dogs need constant attention and upkeep.  This time of year, the dog owning duties include daily grooming in a feeble attempt to keep the shedding volume down to a dull roar.  Near daily vacuuming to collect dog hair goes without saying.  

Having two veterinarians in the family helps with the upkeep and diagnosis of unpredictable ailments and life threatening situations:

• whole corn on the cob ingesting (suspected due to circumstantial evidence; discovered surgically & removed; can cause life threatening blockage if undetected)
• dental decay (and necessary removal of rotten teeth)
• irritable bowel syndrome (surgically diagnosed; requires prescription diet and special meds)
• happy tail (recurring blood blister on the tip of the tail, aggravated each time the wild tail wagging begins, and casting blood speckles everywhere)

All in all, these lovable labs are worth all the trouble, messes, and even the noise (and noise complaints). 
Really!

Charlie's Shame {Pizza Box Gluttony}

Someone had a little too much fun at Tim's birthday party yesterday...

Charlie will eat absolutely anything, so why not a cardboard box with greasy pizza stains?

We dubbed his costume the new "cone of shame."

Yes, we are reporting Charlie to his vet today, and hope that treatment will be forthcoming.

At least pizza boxes don't require surgical removal (like the corn cobs Charlie chowed down a few years ago that had to be surgically removed by our uncle-brother vet, Craig).

We brought home Hot & Ready pizzas for lunch after celebrating Mass together yesterday (and confession).  Tim took the day off so we could spoil him.  We hosted a lasagna dinner topped off with lemon meringue pie to celebrate with Tim's parents.

We wondered why Ezra didn't come up to join in the dessert festivities, and when we went to check on him, we found him "reading" on his bed.  Must have been a very good book!