Vermont weekend

What a weekend! We took off on Friday for a long weekend up north. The fall foliage is amazing this time of year, and it so happened that Friday was also our 5th wedding anniversary. Waldo was dropped off at the kennel and we were on the road early towards the Burlington, VT area of the world.

There were a few must-have stops on our trip; the first being Simon Pearce for lunch and some window shopping. There is nothing like a bowl of their cheddar soup! And their glass blowing is truly an art... someday I hope to have a set of their drinking glasses. Once I win the lottery, that is....

Over the weekend, we also visited my personal mecca known as Gardener's Supply Company. They have anything and everything to please the gardener's soul. I was especially happy about their outlet store. A new shovel is great but even better when it's on sale!

On the way back on Sunday, we were stuck in horrendous traffic and were late picking Waldo up from the kennel. We had to pay a late charge or otherwise pick him up in the morning. I was adamant that he not stay another night and paid the $20 fee. He was happy to see us and seemed tired when we got home. I immediately threw him in the bath since he had spent the past 3 days rolling around with other dogs in the pond mud (and he smelled like it).

It was after I got his fur wet that I noticed some injuries to his neck. His mid-to-upper neck was swollen (below the jaw, above the collar line) and there were scabbed-over markings on his neck. (See photo.) It didn't hurt him to touch that area but it looked suspect. My gut says that they tied him up and he was pulling and straining against his collar. I chose this kennel (which is also his daycare place) on a recommendation from a fellow dog owner; I liked the fact that the dog could roam around in fenced areas. There should be no reason to tie him to anything, especially since they have a dozen or so crates for the misbehaving dogs.

There have been times that he has returned from a day at daycare with some injuries that were inflicted by other dogs. A bitten ear or a scratch on his back. I know they can't watch all dogs all the time, so I didn't say anything. These marks look more significant, but I am debating as to whether to say anything. I've pretty much made up my mind that we won't go back there, so I don't know what use it would be to cause a fuss. They would, of course, deny any wrongdoing and I, as the departing customer, would have no use for whatever discount they might offer.

After his bath, Waldo did his usual mildly damp, mad dash around the house. He runs from room to room like his tail is on fire, occasionally stopping to wipe one side of his head on the nearest throw rug.

I had purchased some Neptune's Harvest fertilizer at Gardener's Supply and had prepared my watering can to give my plants one more feeding before winter. Before I knew it, Waldo had snuck his long snout into my watering can and was drinking from it. Yikes! What happens when a dog drinks fish emulsion fertilizer? It's organic... and he is still alive 24 hours later. Should I worry??