dog trouble

Even for someone who loves canines as much as I do, they are sometimes a huge pain. Lately, mine have been.

My Jack Russell, Fiat, has suddenly begun chewing things up -- something he has NEVER done before. He ate my favorite Coach handbag. He then ate my favorite wooden knitting needles, some of my favorite La Perla unmentionables, and today, he gnawed a hole in my couch (not my favorite, but my only, so same difference). I am now crating him every time he's out of my sight and scratching my head over why he's doing it.

Then there's Leo, my Great Pyrenees. On the 27th of December, late in the day, he began vomiting. I became convinced he had swallowed a Christmas ornament, so I rushed him to the after-hours vet, where for a modest cost of only TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS, I was informed that he had not swallowed anything, but that he did have a virus of some kind, compounded by a bacterial respiratory infection. They prescribed antibiotics and sent us home. The next day, I was going out of town, so I left both dogs with my regular vet to board for the week. I explained that Leo was taking the meds and left instructions for them to be given.

When I picked him up a week later, he was sicker than ever and had lost five pounds. So today we were BACK at the vet, getting a super-power antibiotic shot and a new kind of oral meds to try to knock the infection out. If he isn't beter in 48 hours, he will have to go to the UT Vet Hospital for special tests.

He feels awful and has the nastiest runny nose and eyes....basically I've been following this giant dog around with a towel for two weeks. Poor guy. Poor me.

So I have this bizarre neighbor who constantly calls the animal welfare authorities on me and other people on m street for no reason, and apparently, when Leo was out in the yard yesterday, she spotted his runny nose and called the dog cops to report a neglected, sick dog at my house. The dog welfare people dutifully came by and just as dutifully marked the report as unfounded when they knocked on the door and found Leo snoozing contentedly on his heepskin bed in front of my fireplace, but they have to check every complaint out.

I am getting really tired of this woman sending the dogcatcher to my house twice a month. They are very nice and apologetic when they stop by, but I'm just getting sick of dealing with it. But I think that saying something to her would just fan the flames. I'm hoping she gets bored and finds some other "neglected" pets to worry about.