Pets, and the love they give

So, Monday night I'm playing with Mandy, and I run my hand along side her neck and I feel what at first what I thought was a vein. I feel it again and I think it might be something else, like a growth of some sort. I make a mental note to tell Jennifer about it. So naturally when Jen comes home from work 30 minutes later, I've forgotten about it entirely.

Tuesday morning, I was planning on going out with Pat and doing our weekly constitutional, when Jen notices the growth too. She's concerned more than I was, and says we probably need to take her to the vet. I agree, as Mandy means a lot to me at this point. Sure she's a pain sometimes, but I do enjoy playing with her, and getting that look of gratititude when I let her out of the cage in the morning.

So, we're in the vet's office, and he tells us not to worry, that's it's probably just a bug bite that developed it's own layer of protection, laying just under the skin. He said that sort of thing is common for dogs, and that it will take a while to dissolve away. But he added that we should check it often and that it if starts growing, or if Mandy starts being sensitive to it, we should bring her in.

I remember growing up in little Byng, Oklahoma, and I can't think of any time in my life as a child that we took a pet to the veternarians. There was no way my parents were going to spend $70 bucks on a doctors visit for a $10 dog. Honestly, most of my pets never got sick, as they were either killed on the road or eaten by coyotes. One pet, another Beagle named Jake, who was my favorite pet in the history of petanomics, was shot. Being the tough dog he was, he managed to crawl from the neighbors down the street (whom shot him) and drag himself to our yard where he finally passed away.

The next morning dad took me to school and we both say Jake out in the yard. I asked dad what that was, as I was looking for him as he didn't come home the night before. Dad said it was probably a bad or something, although he knew what it was. Being the loving dad he was, he came back to the house, even though he was running late to work, and dug a hole for Jake so I wouldn't see it. I'm grateful for my father doing that, as he knew how much that dog meant to me. And now Mandy is really growing on me, so much that spending money on a doctor's visit is nothing. Jen and I didn't even question it, we both knew we had to take her to the vet's office.

I'm glad Jen's a pet lover like I am. I would hate to squabble over taking our dog to get checked out, so it's a relief that we're both in agreement. I know Erin Rutledge is the same way. When her cat Rumble, who was, like, 150 in cat years, passed away, it was with mixed feelings. She (the cat) hadn't been feeling good for a while, but at the same time you hate to see a member of your familiy go. And yes, pets are members of your family. If you shelter them, feed them, dote on them like children, then they are family.

If you don't have pets, I urge you to invest in one. Sure they smell, sure they puke up in front of the computer, sure they tear up $5 dollar bills, sure they destroy 512mb memory sticks...but you still love them. And that's a love you'll carry everyday.
This is Paul Harvey.... Good day!