My Schnoodle, Simon, turned one year old April 4th. He’s truly been the sweetest, most gentle and loving dog I’ve ever known. And, naturally, he has totally won over my heart as well as Robert’s, my family’s, and pretty much everyone else’s who’s gotten to know him.

But last week he had a tiny bump on his neck, just behind his left ear, so off we went to visit Dr. Ringler who, if you’ve been a good reader and have kept track of my blogs, you will know is the best vet in the world. He took a look at him and thought it was a minor infection and gave me a spray to apply twice a day and antibiotic pills to give him once a day.

As the days went by though, I could tell that Simon’s neck was hurting by his expression. When you’ve been dealing with horses for as many years as I, you get to be very sensitive to what your animals are telling you in their own way. So back we marched to the vet. This time, Dr. Ringler thought we should test for fungus so we took a little sample and sent it off.

A few days later that test came back negative so we decided to wait and hope it would clear up in a day or two. But Simon’s neck just seemed to get worse and the  spot on his neck, though not an open sore, seemed to be growing under the top layer of skin, now covering about the size of a quarter.

For the 3rd time we got in the car and went to see Dr. Ringler. This time he said we needed to shave the area to see exactly what was under there. A few minutes later we were both looking at an ugly lesion with  a bunch of new tiny eruptions ready to open up, and the thing was obviously spreading. So, the doctor decided to take 2 biopsies, one at the edge of the main sore spot and the other of one of the tiny new sites. Now I’m a nervous father waiting until Friday when we get back the results. Dr. Ringler, with whom I’ve shared the lives of my beloved late pets, Half-Halt and Pirouette, reacted to my concern with is usual great bed-side manner and humor, reminding me that I couldn’t just have a dog with an easy to diagnose problem. After all, he had kept both my last 2 dogs alive until each was 18 years old, even through replaced hips and pace-makers.

The worst thing beside the wait is that poor Simon, because of his stitches, has to wear a neck cone, which he hated. Of course, Robert reminded me that there are new, more comfortable, blow-up ones, sort of like the neck pillows you can buy to use on a plane. He’s a lot happier with this one and being more patient than I as we wait for the verdict!

I’ll keep Simon’s fans informed with the outcome of the test.

Cheers!

RD

A little over 5 months ago Robert gave me my birthday present; one that I expressly told everyone I did not want- a puppy. I said it again and again- I was not ready! I had, in all honesty, spoken a few times and referred to the thought that I was beginning to consider the possibility of entertaining the notion of perhaps contemplating the idea of just maybe in the future but most definitely not now or anytime in the immediate space and time continuum- getting a dog.

So Robert said he had to run out at 9:30 pm to pick up my present which was ostensibly down the road at our friend’s place, ostensibly to keep it hidden from me and because ostensibly, it had been late arriving due to some manufacturing problem. Hmmm. Anyway, I waited and 10:00pm went by and so did 10:30pm and 11:00pm and by 11:30pm I’m wondering where the hell my boyfriend has gone for this “gift”.

And then it hit me, so I called him and when he picked up I said, ” You got me a dog, didn’t you?” and he said, ” I am driving in the garage right now so come and meet me”. And as I walked out to meet him I said ” I told you I wasn’t ready for a dog and I meant it ( Our last dog had died 5 years ago at the age of 18 and I still wasn’t over it) “. And he said, ” Just shut up and close your eyes and put out yur hands!” So I did while still complaining, saying, ” I can’t believe that you would do this when I expressly told you I was not, in any way shape and form–”  and then I opened my eyes and saw little Simon in my hands and said, ” OK!”

And that was that. Simon is a designer breed called a Schnoodle, which is half Schnauzer and half Poodle and is of the miniature variety. But he obviously got all the genes from the Schnauzer side because everyone think he is a pure bred, so I decided that instead of calling him a Schnoodle I would rename him a “Schnauzel”. Regardless he is adorable and now, at almost 8 months old, he has Robert and I almost perfectly trained.