150 DOLLAR HAIRCUT

 It was a beautiful warm day Thursday so I decided Mighty Dog could use a make over. I probably should have given him a bath first but I hate to cut off hair I just cleaned. Seems redundant even though I know it is prudent. However had I done so, this might not have happened. So I strapped the dirty little dude in and got out the clippers.

The last time I had him professionally groomed, it cost me $1500.00 .When he left the groomers, he was crippled with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. It took extensive surgery, pins, screws and 80 pound test fishing line to fix the little fellow plus 90 days of therapy. I vowed “Never again would I risk his health to strangers.

Since then, I have been his groomer. Am I good?? Not even close but since I am the one who has to look at him, if I am satisfied, we go for function and safety. He could care less how he looks since he only sees his legs and private parts. He seems to like the cool, slick feeling and actually prances after grooming Still, I make sure I have no low hanging mirrors just in case he might be sensitive.

I had just started to clean up his facial hair when he screamed. I wasn't too alarmed for he screams like a leg is being torn off when he gets his temperature taken. Bravery is no where in his pedigree. He is a 4 legged wimp.

However this time, he had reason. Soon my hand was covered with blood. I had recently noticed a growth on his jaw that I had planned to have checked when he went in for his teeth cleaning next month. It had evidently grown quite rapidly and while I thought I was being careful, I had nicked it a good one. Had I given him a bath, I would have noticed how much it had grown. So off to the vet we went.

The vet didn't think it was a cancerous growth, dogs like humans get bumps, lumps and growths as they age. I have several things my dermatologist refers to as simply “age related.” Gosh I hate that term. Still, the vet thought it needed to be removed and that meant surgery.

Mighty survived the surgery quite well which at his age is an iffy thing. He is one growth lighter and I am $150.00 lighter. The sad thing is that he still looks terrible for I had just gotten started on his grooming and I haven't the heart to finish the job.

The little guy has been through enough. He really knows how to lay a guilt trip on me. Mighty can do "woebegone dog" better than any I have ever owned.   He can't have a bath for 10 days so this is what I will be living with till then. Maybe by then he will have forgotten his ordeal.  So Bad Patti will spend all his recovery time in total slave mode. 

Anyone else need a haircut in the meantime??

Just an FYI. Sorry I couldn't get around to visit Friday. I have a really delicate Internet Service Provider. It pretty much always goes down when it rains or the wind blows and boy did the wind blow. Usually we are unable to connect after a couple of hours of down time but Friday it would flicker on and off repeatedly. I got disgusted and quit trying.

I am writing this off line and perhaps tomorrow I will be able to post and get back to visiting. Here's hoping.

Saturday morning--so far so good. PUBLISH.