Here’s a holiday puppy, contemplating her toys, some of which are new, and getting ready to take a nap (opening presents can be so exhausting!). More creatures are lining up on the Modulator’s ark! Have a safe and warm weekend, everyone!
I’m still working from the archives here. I saw this picture and thought it cried out for the caption: “What? Didn’t you see the Do Not Disturb sign?”
Well, chances are, if you’re in the States, you’re probably experiencing some pretty awful weather. It’s been raining all week here and now it’s going to get cold — but we won’t be seeing any of the snow that’s making everything so pretty and chaotic north of here, in the northwest, midwest and northeast — well, pretty much everywhere north of here. Stay safe out there as you’re visiting, traveling and finishing up the holiday shopping! And remember, it’s always safe and warm on the Modulator’s ark!
Today’s creature comes courtesy of a guest photographer — I got out my camera yesterday, but then got so busy with meal preparations that I didn’t take many pictures. Fortunately, Emmie picked up the slack, and she caught this image of the tortured dog (don’t let all that comfort fool you — at that point, the aromas from the kitchen were irresistible!), waiting for someone to throw her a bone. Never fear, though. While her plight required patience, she was eventually rewarded with some turkey and gravy, and then she even got to help us clean the plates and platters after the meal was over.
And now, on this Black Friday — or Buy Nothing Day, if that’s the way you swing — while the rest of America is elbowing the competition away from that last $25 Blu Ray player, or digging around in the attic looking for the Christmas lights, or back at the office, enjoying a rare quiet day, or placing an order at amazon.com — the creatures are all happily lining up over on the Modulator’s Ark! Check them out, enjoy this nebulous day, tucked in between the holiday and the weekend, and remember to buy local — our economy is hurting, so keep your money here instead of sending it to the Chinese!
Sssh! I’ll tell you a secret! Emmie’s off at school most of the time these days and Nonnie has recently decided that it’s a shame for her room to just sit empty and unused, so she’s been doing some squatting. We may be experiencing a turf war when Emmie comes home for the holidays…
In other news, plenty of critters are already up at the Modulator’s ark! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Be safe, healthy and happy!
Ahhh! This is a particularly welcome weekend — I think we all could use a little R&R (and some cool creature pics, of course!), so take it easy, everyone! I’ll be hanging out with the dog, shown here at full speed. There’s a football/soccer field in the neighborhood, and every once in a while we luck out and find it unlocked. Our yard is not big enough for her to really open up on the accelerator, so it’s a thrill when we find the field open — inside its enclosure, we can lose the leash and enjoy some serious sprints!
There have been some iridescent little lizards running around my herb garden lately. I haven’t gotten a photo of one, as they’re very quick — they even elude the dog, who hasn’t caught one yet, but really enjoys tracking them.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend, everyone! Be safe and check out the critters as they climb aboard the ark!
It’s interesting when visiting countries to observe their attitudes towards different companion animals. In Greece, for example, I saw dogs everywhere — often riding in the subways with their people. Greek dogs were mostly very well-cared for, too. Spain is another country that displayed a genuine affection for dogs. In Turkey, on the other hand, I didn’t see very many dogs at all, but there were cats everywhere (and probably not a lot of rodents anywhere). This week, I’ll do the dogs, but the cats are in the cue somewhere.
Have a great weekend, kids! Be safe, well and happy, and as always, check out this week’s Friday Ark.
UDPATE: And happy Take Your Dog to Work Day!
Well, the dog had some elective, minor surgery this week and is now all done with medical dramas for the year. To celebrate, here’s a picture of the great beast, from just a week or so ago. Note the intense focus — she’s actually watching somebody eat.
I can’t believe it’s already the last weekend in April! There’s so much to do these days, between working in the yard and trying to keep up with all that’s going on in town, that the weekends have been pretty exhausting lately — but in a good way, of course! I hope you all have fun plans (that no doubt include checking in on the modulator’s ark). Enjoy!
I’ve got quite the treat this week! A lot has been going on in the world of Dear Puppy, and I have the pictures to prove it — and they’re interior shots (don’t worry! I didn’t take them myself)!
DP went in for yet another weekly progress inspection this past Monday, and things were not looking good. Her red blood cell count was stable, but she’d lost more weight and, alarmingly, her white blood cell count was sharply elevated. Clearly, she had some sort of infection. The vet gave her a thorough exam, complete with x-rays, but couldn’t find anything definitive — she was just too skinny
for anything to be all that perceptible.
Further testing was needed, so I took her back early Tuesday morning for some barium and an Upper GI exam, which finally revealed something: an obstruction of some sort in her intestine. This would call for some exploratory surgery, and fast.
She was on the table by lunchtime, and the vet found an intestinal inteceception. He removed a third of her intestine, sewed her back up, and she was in recovery by the middle of the afternoon (the surgery lasted for around two and a half hours). We got her back home by 7pm.
It was quite the whirlwind/rollercoaster of a day, but I’m happy to report that DP has been mending quickly all week long and is eagerly trying to catch up on all her eating! She’s so much better already!
The vet (Dr. Tai Federico, if you locals are wondering) was kind enough to share his photos of the surgery with me, and I’m going to share them here — but for those who get weak-kneed at the sight of medical stuff (which is a category I normally belong in), I’ve put them on a separate page, so that you won’t see them unless you really want to.
So, without further ado, here are the images, step-by-step, of Dear Puppy’s intestinal resection. For those who don’t want to go there, here is the recovering DP, on the day after surgery (there’s an IV stump under that tape on her leg) — and, of course, as usual, there are more creature pics over at modulator.org (which I think are mostly exterior shots)!
As always, have a great weekend!
This image dates back to last spring (look at that lush green grass!) and features my neighbor’s dog, who is quite the sentry.
Our own Dear Puppy continues to convalesce. She’s taking small amounts of food, but not yet enough to start putting some weight back on. Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to check out a special Leap Day version of the modulator’s ark!
