Hats and The Big Day

Shadow is being neutered today. I know it's the right thing to do. Animal shelters are the result of overpopulation and are horrible places to end up. But making such a monumental decision for someone who trusts you and who you care about (even if he has no idea what's going on) is pretty tough.

Our veterinarian suggested he have it done when he was six months old. Other dogs we know had it done when they were 10 months or eight weeks. There doesn't seem to be a right or wrong time, but for us just-about-seven months was perfect. Shadow only exhibited the bad (hump much?) unneutered dog behavior a couple times, and he got to mature normally almost to the tail end of his puppyhood.

As a non-professional, that's all I have to say on the matter, though I'll keep you up-to-date on his post-surgery progress. Dr. Lisa Miller offers details on the benefits of neutering or spaying your pet here.

The surgery is an all-day event, so rather than sit here and worry, I put together some silly photos of Shadow that Chris and I took this past weekend.

The thing you need to know is that we live in a household that was divided by Babe Ruth decades ago.

But we're always eager to recruit newcomers to our respective sides.

The big question has been on which side of the stadium our family will sit someday.

But if Shadow's any indicator, I'd better start preparing my concession speech now.

(Isn't that just like a Sox fan, already shooting off his anti-Yankee mouth before the game even starts...)

 But we can always compromise.

(He looks better in maroon than blue anyway!)

How to save a little $$

How would you feel if, after paying for a cart-load of stuff and heading for the door, you found out everyone else in the store got a 50% discount just because they asked for it?

It happens each day by the hundreds when pets undergo that special surgery no one wants to talk about. It can have a pretty hefty price tag. But Friends of Animals, an animal advocacy group based in the Northeast, has a low-cost spay/neutering program that allows pet owners to use their own vets (if participating) and get the same exact surgery at a fraction of the price.

Just tell your vet the magical phrase, "Friends of Animals rate," and wait for the certificate to arrive before planning the surgery.

Here's the link: http://www.friendsofanimals.org/sncert/instructions.html

Back to the Vet

When you have to shout the date of your next appointment at the woman behind the counter as your suddenly 58-pound dog yanks you, flailing, out the front door of the vet's office... he may no longer be a puppy.

Shadow returned to the vet today after a nearly two-month hiatus. His first call of action was to attempt climbing a woman in the waiting area. Then he moved on to the secretary, all the while skating along the tile floor like a berserk spider wearing roller skates.

My favorite part of the checkup, however, was when Shadow embarked upon his first (to my knowledge) feline encounter. It was a quartet of newborn kittens, to be exact, and both species were captivated by each other.

One particularly gutsy black kitten engaged in a sort of staring contest with the six-month-old silver Lab until (I hate to admit it) Shadow let out a whine. (I apologize for the picture quality, but I was armed only with my iPhone, and dogs move super fast.)

Finally past the waiting area, Shadow was so strong and rambunctious that the attendant had to call in backup to get him on the scale. And when I say scale, I mean a steel trough with no sides that rises a good three feet off the ground with the flick of a switch.

But what else can I expect from a new-to-this-world puppy in the body of a 58-pound adolescent dog? He sleeps through the night, he doesn't launch into a barking frenzy the moment I walk in or out of the door, he can be left outside his crate while I'm not paying him any attention, he's about 90 percent housebroken, and he can actually walk tolerably on a lead.

The jumping on people is the biggest issue left, but just like all the others, it will one day be history. And one day I'll miss his rambunctious, I-want-to-play-with-

everything-and-sniff-everything-and-jump-on-everything crazy phase.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Shadow was the man of the hour today during his debut visit to our local vet, where he received a DHPP booster, a standard office exam, and medications to prevent heartworms, fleas and Lyme disease.

In addition to being a quiet but slightly fiesty big guy for the doc (Don't you just love the strong, silent type?), Shadow stole the hearts of all the women (who'd never seen a "silver" Lab before) and posed for a photo shoot welcoming him to the new veterinary community.

Despite seeing only Chris and I for two days, Shadow didn't show any fear meeting four new people all at once or being fussed with on a metal table. Truth be told, between the two of us, the award for most nervous vet visitor would probably go to me -- the woman who never owned a puppy before and who went to the appointment with a half dozen questions prepared on pink and white stationary.

For the record:
Getting a new puppy to the vet as soon as possible after he/she comes home is extremely important for the sake of both the pup and your purchase agreement with the breeder. As is the case of most pups from reputable breeders, Shadow was dewormed and had received the first in a series of DHPP vaccines by eight weeks of age. But the rest is up to the new owner.