You Can't Put A Price On It

Today has been one of those days. You know the ones, filled with a bunch of little errands that eat up the day until you find yourself sitting at your desk in the late afternoon realizing that you haven't posted the day's dose of social commentary. Maybe you can't relate to the last part, but I know you can (as the kids say) "feel me" on the first count.

One of my errands was going to the vet's office to pick up some medication for one of my dogs. Baloo has been with "Wife" and I for over 13 years. We got her at the Humane Society when she was only a puppy. We payed a whopping $35 for her, but she has been a priceless addition to our family. No one knows what kind of dog she is, and after a while we stopped trying to pigeon hole her, so "mutt" became the defacto breed denomination. She has been a good and loyal friend to "Wife", "Daughter" and I. Baloo is one of those dogs that is sweet to certain people, and hates others. For some reason, she hates most men and some women. She always got along great with my dad and my uncle Bob, but she hates my brothers with a passion. Maybe she isn't neurotic as they claim, but the possessor of great judgment. She is good with kids, and when "Daughter" was born became, despite past timidness, a fierce protector, always sleeping by the crib and coming to find us if "Daughter" started to cry.

Time is starting to take it's toll on my canine pal. Last year, the vet told us that Baloo's hips were in horrible shape. He laid out the worst case scenarios, and then told me how to lessen the chances of that happening. Baloo had to lose weight. Who doesn't? In my case, it'll probably be a while before my weight cripples me (about 3 1/2 months), but for an old dog, time was of the essence. So Baloo went on the "Green Bean Diet." She gets a minimal amount of food and three cans of green beans a day. She's hungry, but the weight came off and she gets around pretty well, considering. She also has to take two kinds of pills every day . The medicine is not cheap, but like all pet lovers, we don't mind.

Sometimes, like today, when I'm sitting with her, I start to think about the inevitable. I don't want to get maudlin here, but everyone with an older pet knows the feeling. We do all we can to keep her healthy and comfortable, but time has it's own plans. My friend just lost his dog to illness, and we had to put our dog Max down a few years ago without any prior warning. It sucks, if I may be so base. That's why we don't make an issue about the cost of the pills or the vet's bills. I'm not made of money, but when you have a pet, you take on a responsibility. I know that when the time comes, our vet will let us know that no amount of money will make a difference and I'll be OK with that. I also know that no amount of money should be spent keeping a dog around just to put off the pain of their leaving. I don't know why this is in the forefront of my mind today, but it is. I see my companion slowing down, and it makes me sad because I realize we're all slowing down and time is watching all of us.

I didn't mean to get your weekend off on a down note. If you need a late night lift, check out the big show WGN Overnight Saturday night/Sunday morning from 1-5 am. I gotta run. "Daughter" and I are taking the dogs for a walk. Have a great weekend. Later...Brian