Welp! That's done. As I feared, Back-Creek Neighbor Bev had her dog euthanized on Tuesday. Maybe she didn't have a choice, what with the bitten old lady going to the hospital for treatment of her hand. Maybe it's a requirement if a biter isn't up-to-date on the rabies shot. Still, it's a sad situation.
I call that dog Zirconium, but her real name was Diamond. She stayed with us for a week, and never bit anybody. Well. Except for Jack and Juno, and there was probably some provocation there. Here are 3 posts about dear departed Diamond. One even has a picture of her.
Anyhoo... I'm sad that Diamond came to this end. I guess if I had a prolific biter, I'd make sure he had all his shots on schedule. We started out with all our pets having regular vet visits and vaccinations. Always with the baby ones, for the shots and worming. Then it got pretty time-consuming to drive them all 30 minutes to their appointments. Five cats and three dogs and two boys is a lot of pent-up energy to juggle. So gradually we'd let a checkup slide, and then a vaccination or two. By the time my little Jack arrived, he just got his puppy visit, and skipped the 'very special operation.'
So... I'm not judging Bev on her pet care. My pets are not angels. Jack nipped the neighbor down the road when Farmer H drove the Gator to return the guy's tractor part he found in the road. Jack was just fine until the guy turned to walk away, and then nipped him on the ankle! Heelers gonna heel! As I recall, no skin was broken. I don't remember if it's because of Jack's tiny dachshund mouth, or if the neighbor was wearing work boots, or if Jack just didn't bite that hard. And my Sweet, Sweet Juno herself took a chomp at young HOSS (Farmer H's Oldest Son's Son) one evening out on Shackytown Boulevard. Not sure what was going on there, since Juno is more likely to keep a distance and bark than run up and get involved.
Poor Diamond was just doing what a dog would do. Defending her new territory against intruders. Bev is an excitable kind, and doesn't like anyone on her property, and dogs pick up on that energy.
Farewell, Diamond/Zirconium. We hardly knew ye.
4 comments:
I was expecting it, but I'm still sorry. I guess re-training was too hard for Bev to contemplate. But she could have had a dog run built, a really big enclosure for Diamond to run around in. Farmer H would have been happy to help with that I'm sure.
River,
Yes, very sad, though I had no attachment to that dog. I think Bev didn't have much choice, once that old lady went to the ER with a dog bite. Yet still, she had asked Farmer H to shoot Diamond, which would not have solved the rabies question. Only vets can send in a sample to test for rabies. And by "sample," I mean a head.
Nor am I blaming the old lady, because her life could be in danger if the dog indeed had rabies, no matter how small the odds.
Farmer H LOVES building things. Even more when he is being paid by the hour!
Do they really need the whole head? Wouldn't the rabies show in a blood sample?
River,
According to Google, the head is necessary, because the brain tissue is what must be tested. Not the blood.
Post a Comment