Missing something...

There are some days when we feel like something is missing. We feel an emptiness that we can't seem to be able to fill with fun and games or food and drink.

Sometimes it doesn't bother us. Sometimes we just remember to feel it again, but it's always there. Or, actually, isn't there anymore.

I wonder if Aschiuta ever feels that way sometimes too. And she does have something to miss. Something quite important. Poochie is missing the possibility of ever becoming a mother.

Tucked in, with her collar on

She was looking towards me just now, a bit accusative. Then she put her head back on my legs. She doesn't miss it all the time.

How did this all happen? Well, around her birthday last year (awful present, isn't it?) we had an outing with the extended family and were out of town for the weekend.

We sent her away to the usual dog hotel, where we know she is always well taken care of.

We had been thinking about spaying her for a while already and, since the owner of the dog hotel is also a good vet, Scorp got the idea to ask him to give her the operation.

I assure you I slept very little the night after we decided to do that. Poor poochie would have too if she'd known what was coming.

I had always imagined that I would be there holding her paw throughout the procedure, but we knew she would be in good hands. And she would also get gas anesthesia, which has the least side effects.

We called the vet that evening and he told us she was fine and the operation had been a success. He also told us that we were lucky to have done it at that time, since apparently poochie had had a growth on one of her uterine tubes. He eventually took it all out and there were no complications. Phew! I guess it was a good birthday present after all.

We asked him to bring her back to us the same evening we returned from the outing. It was pouring and I remember they brought her back from the van with the cone on. She was happy to see us, of course, and we her.

I walked her home after the rain had stopped (remember, this was mid-May) and she kept bumping into things, poor girl. She seemed energetic, but she just wouldn't climb up the stairs to the first floor apartment where we live, so I had to carry her. Her tummy still hurt.

Plenty of rest is the key to a speedy recovery

We were alarmed when she peed a little blood the next day, so we told the vet. He came to check on her and gave her an injection, which she took bravely. The bleeding stopped soon, but I still went out with her with a wad of tissues to make her pee on them, just to check.

All in all, she made a full recovery and is now back to her happy self, as if nothing had happened. You can barely see the stitch scar too.

Hey, who knows, maybe she will adopt one day, if she can't have her own.

Paranormal experience

They say dogs have a 6th sense, that they can feel an earthquake coming or even sense ghosts. Could it be true? You decide for yourselves.

One day, Aschiuta was going about the house after me, when the front door caught her attention.

She sniffed, intrigued, and started cowering away towards the door. Something obviously troubled her, making her uneasy, almost scared.

I went to the door and listened. Nothing.

I looked through the viewer and couldn't see anything or anyone outside.

What was making her so nervous?

I kept my cool and decided to just go ahead and take her for a walk. She usually can't wait to go, but this time she was reluctant.

We were finally ready to go and I opened the door and saw what had made Poochie put her tail between her legs.

It was no scary ghost or boogieman. It was a tabby cat rolled up napping on our front door rug!

She was not scared at all, but let Aschiuta sniff her and even started purring.

Now they are good friends and seek each other for a sniff and some friendly sparring. No teeth or claws.

The moral of the story? Not all ghosts are all that scary.

An encounter of the "kitty" degree

Puppies

No, not Aschiuta's puppies, but another yellow dog in our neighbourhood has had a litter about a month ago.

I think she is barely a year old and looks even smaller and younger than Aschiuta. I think I know who the father is, since the puppies are black and brown, rather than yellow. There is an older black dog that lives in the building next door, but I never saw him next to the puppies.

Unfortunately, I have no photos, since I didn't have the chance to take any. And now it seems it is too late.

They had a small dog house built for them just outside the side door of the other building. I always saw food and water left for them, so I assume they were well cared for.

Whenever anyone came by though, the mother barked at them and sometimes chased them until they went away from her babies. I'm sure a lot of mothers do that if they think their little ones are in danger, but a lot of people took it the wrong way. A woman started throwing twigs at the dog barking at her viciously, so Aschiuta and I had to rush and distract her until the woman went away. We also have a lot of school children walk by, since there is a school very close to us. One day I saw a little boy running and shrieking in fear followed by the dog. Someone went and stopped her and sent her back to her little house, but I doubt she would have hurt the boy.

I'm not sure if this was the reason, but by the second day the little dog house was gone and there was no sign of the puppies anywhere. I have seen the mother a couple of times since then, but she went away quickly and I didn't have time to follow her.

I really hope they have been moved to a warmer spot where they wouldn't have a lot of people passing by, maybe inside the building. I am worried though and I will keep looking for them.