Neck Update

The vet prescribed a tube of Tritop ointment and some chlorhexiderm solution for Waldo's neck. The wound has progressed into a skin infection so these meds should help keep it clean and microbal-free. My vet says that the fur *should* grow back... I just hope he doesn't have a bald spot there forever. It's in the general area of where a collar would sit, so having bare skin there will be uncomfortable for him.

The Tritop is to be used for the next 5-7 days. Hopefully he will heal up in that time and we can get back to normal.

no words

I received a call back from Tracy at Dogma about 30 minutes ago. I almost have no words to describe how angry, frustrated and stupid I feel right now. She returned my call and immediately volunteered the fact that they had put a bark (shock) collar on Waldo when he was boarded there last weekend. Before she knew how upset I was, she continued on to say that sometimes a dog will have an allergic reaction to the collar and will scratch at that area.

I am angry because he has been going there since the summer and not once did they ever tell me that (1) his barking was a problem, and (2) that they use bark collars. She immediately said that I had signed the contract saying I understood they have to control barking but I don't remember reading anything about shock collars. I'm sure there is come legalese language that absolves them of all responsibility for anything anyway.

All she had to do was call me while he was boarded there and ask if that method was okay with me (it's not). She even said that she didn't want to take him out of group play since he plays so well with the other dogs... so of course the only other option is to put a shock collar on him?? No. If I had been asked and given a choice, he would have just sat in a kennel until he calmed down and stopped barking.

I am frustrated because I am trying so hard to make positive, healthy changes for him yet I royally screw up and leave him in the hands of people who hurt him.

I feel stupid because I should have read, re-read and sent a copy of that contract to an attorney!! I know that last part would have been overkill... but....

Before I signed him up at Dogma, I toured the facility and asked questions about how they care for dogs. I saw where the dogs play, saw the food they are fed, saw the place where they sleep. Now I know to ask how they are reprimanded. I never even thought to ask about shock collars because I don't use them and just didn't think. On top of my due diligence, I was recommended to this place by a colleague who was a former vet tech who also brings her dog there.

I thought I had done my homework.... but Waldo still ended up being hurt.

I offered to email her the photos of his neck but they do not list an email address on their web site. She just kept saying she was sorry and that they are not in the business of hurting dogs.

He will not go back there again. And I will let everyone I know who will want to listen to me that they use shock collars......

How do you feel about this?? Leave a comment and let me know. Better yet, write Dogma a letter and let them know how you feel:
154 Riverlin St.
Millbury, MA 01527

You're right...

Okay, so I just called Dogma, the doggy day care place , and left a message. Lori's comment on the previous post about Waldo's neck just pushed me to call. Everyone keeps telling me to say something so I am. Hopefully they will at least call me back and tell me if they did indeed tie him up or use a bark collar on him. Either way, they should have called me. When I picked him up on Sunday, 10/21, all they said was the he had a good time and would sleep well that night (presumably from the tiredness of playing all day).

Today his neck is still red but many of the scabs have fallen off (see photo). The skin underneath is nice and pink, so hopefully the fur will grow back soon. Here is today's picture.

I am also emailing my colleague who recommended this place to me to let her know what has happened. I'm also sending the photos so she can see for herself. She has an American Pit Bull, so maybe her much sturdier dog doesn't have these problems at Dogma.

Yay, Sunday!

Sunday.... it's my favorite day of the week. And what a great Sunday it was yesterday. The Red Sox won the World Series and I can finally get to bed on time again.

Saturday night we went to the Tragically Hip show at the Orpheum Theater in Boston. The Orpheum is a very old, run down but sort of cool theater. The seats may be small and uncomfortable, but the bands who play there really do put on a good show. I brought my sad, pocket-sized little Sony digital camera and tried to take some photos. Most were too blurry and dark, but here's one happy accident that actually is a pretty cool picture.

Waldo was in his pen for about 8 hours while we were gone. He does really well in his portable x-pen. I had never thought of putting him in a portable pen until we saw on in use at our local pet store. I like that it can be made into different shapes and sizes, depending on where we are and what we are doing with it. It folds nearly flat for transport too.

Waldo's neck update is that his wound is healing, although it looks worse now than at the beginning of the week. The scabs are slowly coming off but also taking his fur with it. The skin that is showing looks healthy, so I hope his fur grows back quickly. For now, we are calling him "Bald Neck". Really though, it looks worse than it actually is... I'll keep an eye on it and, if it doesn't look better in a week or so, I'll bring him by the vet to have a closer look.

Good Book, Sleepy Puppy, Meet George

I have been enthralled by Barbara Kingsolver's new book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life" for the past week or so. The book was released in May 2007, but I only read about it recently and picked up a copy at our local library. The book is part memoir and part information guide and tells the story of how her family decided to grow all of their food and/or buy locally for an entire year. That means no hothouse-grown strawberries in December and no South American asparagus in February.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through the book now; so far, so good. The author lives on a 100 acre farm, which makes life easier when it comes to growing all you need to feed a family of four for a year. I've been gardening on a small scale for about 3 years now, and I still have so much to learn. Much like what we're trying to do with Waldo, we've also been cleansing ourselves of pesticide-ridden, commercially grown fruits and vegetables. We have several great family-owned farmstands around us that operate from April/June to October, but I haven't quite figured out what to do for the winter months. I'm not sure if I can handle eating a mealy, tasteless tomato from the supermarket again.

Speaking of winter, I just put in a heating pad for Waldo's bed. The pad was originally used for the Old Man and his aching bones. I figure that Waldo would enjoy it as well. What do you think?? Is that a sleepy puppy or what?

And finally, what has been big news around our house has nothing to do with dogs or dogs with cancer. I'd like you to meet George, our new MINI Cooper S. We picked him up last night and had fun driving him back home. Rich is super excited about it since he chose all of the accoutrements, so I suspect that I'll be allowed to drive it in a few months. =)