On the 11th day of Petmas, my puppy gave to me:

11 pipes so scary…

…wait, Finnegan says those are really scary and asks is there any way we can try something different…..

ahem.

On the 11th day of Petmas, my puppy gave to me:

11 pipes of pup-pops! (much better)

Thank you Susan and Finnegan!!

The days leading up to Christmas, as I have mentioned many times before, are always hard for me work-wise. This year is no exception.

It was exactly one year ago that I had the most difficult euthanasia I’ve ever had to do. It’s a long story, one that combines my sadness over Mulan’s proximity to her own passing, an elderly woman losing her only friend, and a family whose lack of compassion left me stunned and nearly incoherent.

As we speak, a 10 week old puppy lies alone in a cage at work. He has parvo. Merry Christmas, you piece of @#$!$ backyard breeder who is not answering their phone anymore. Thank you for making me have to explain this to the young family and the child for whom the dog was intended.

They are doing everything they can. It still might not be enough. Parvovirus is notoriously unpredictable, and despite the dog looking good upon admission yesterday, he looked much worse this morning. I do not know what will happen when I get to work tomorrow. They can’t afford to transfer him to a 24 hour facility, so the puppy spends almost the next 12 hours alone, on fluids and a continuous rate infusion of an antiemetic.

I feel Kevin’s foul breath tickling the back of my neck. I know he will never go away. I know he always wins, in the end, but dammit, he needs to back the hell off right now and wait until it’s his time to take this little guy away, years from now. I have enjoyed the 12 Days of Petmas submissions so much- the love you all have for your pets inspires me. This little puppy deserves a life to bond and those moments with his family too. He does not deserve to die alone in a cage, in pain and uncomfortable. I am so worried about him.

Keep your fingers crossed for him, everyone. I’m not sure how I will react if I lose him.

On the tenth day of Petmas my puppy gave to me:

10 Ducks for Squeakin’

The lovely Morgan was an amazing sport. For a little more about the picture, here’s the original, and for more art inspired by Morgan, check out her mom’s etsy site.

On the ninth day of Petmas, my puppy gave to me:

Nine Starlets Dancing

Today’s delightful picture comes courtesy of Annette from Biscuits By Lambchop, and of course Starlet!

Almost done! I’ll be sad when this ends- it’s been a blast!

A 5 Grody Rings outtake:

He looks rather intellectual, no? I call this one, “Hairy Potter and the Order of the Chewstix.”

On the eighth day of Petmas, my puppy gave to me:

Eight Kongs with filling

Thank you Tara! I was given my choice of three pics of the adorable Puzzle, but the way his eyes were as big as saucers in this picture was just irresistible! Sooooo awesome.