Hi all--
 
Pepper does something I've never seen.  One of his favorite games is to lie
in wait under furniture and then leap out and attack our legs as we walk by.
Ok, that's normal enough.  What's funny is that before he attacks, he
scratches the carpet with one front paw, like a tiny bull getting ready to
charge!
 
Speaking of bulls--I key mail for the USPS and last night I saw a mail
advertisement-- "OUR ANNUAL SEMEN SALE IS UNDERWAY .  .  .  If you would
like to order .  .  .  champion bloodlines, etc .  .  ." I type very fast
and usually a mail image is only on my screen for 2 seconds or so, but I had
to stop and laugh at that one!
 
Ok, that was off subject.  To answer some posts about finances--If a medical
emergency comes up, I go to the vet w/o hesitation.  There are three ways I
can manage the unexpected expense--borrow the money from family/friends,
quick sell a car (we usually have three, one for each of us to drive daily
and one in the process of being fixed up) and as a last resort, my vet will
let me post-date checks through several pay periods if I have to.  Usually
one of the first two options comes through.  Last year Dave worked for a guy
who really loves animals.  When Harley (dog) had her first seizure I rushed
her to the vet and Dave's boss paid for it.
 
I would never adopt an animal that I knew needed extensive medical care, but
I'd never deny an animal in our home needed care, either.  I would find a
way, even if it meant selling my car and ride-sharing or bussing to work.
 
Someone mentioned reserving a credit card for emergency vet expenses.  I
think this is a great idea.  I'll finally have my credit cleaned up by the
new year (after 3 years with Consumer Credit Counseling) and the first major
card I qualify for will stored in my vet file for that purpose.  I would
have never thought of that on my own--thanks to whomever made the suggeston.
 
Ok--a question--Pepper seems abnormally itchy.  I've checked him and the dog
for fleas and haven't found any.  Might the dog hair on the floor bother
him?  Or could something in the couch, couch-mites perhaps, cause this?  It
does seem worse since he found a way into the couch, which will be fixed
(hopefully) later today with a shower curtain stapled to the bottom.  He's
also getting his winter coat, w/o much shedding of summer coat--could that
cause more itching?  I feel itchy just watching him!
 
One last--Pepper's cage is a dog kennel in a designer coloer--hunter green!
I love it.  His cage cover is a hunter green, too.  I just bought fancy
brass hinges and clasp for the gate, which is currently plain old plywood
held in the doorway with plain old hook locks.  So now I'm going to paint
the gate hunter green.  Heck, why not?  Functional AND stylish.  <Grin>
 
--Sherri
[Posted in FML issue 1750]