Bailey 'n Lexie's Nite Before Christmas

Paybacks are a ........

Payback are...well...ya know......but I think mom took it to another level. I've had a limp for a several days, now. Off an' on....mom couldn't decide if it was my toe, foot, "wrist", elbow or shoulder...an' I haven't been talkin'. She's had me down proddin' an' pokin'...checkin' my pads, pullin' my toes n' nails, mashin' on my foot...feelin' up my leg an' shoulder....Dr Mom was stymied. Her conclusion was to limit my stair access an' roughhousin'.

With the cool weather, I have to confess I may have been actin' a lil' nutty...runnin' amuck, wrastlin' w/Lexie...then there's all the delivery men that have been in the neighborhood all week causin' me to be boundin' up an down the stairs. So, there is the possibility that I may have pulled, strained, twisted, or sprained somthin'....ya know...the usual 'dale "sports'" injury.

Mom's already grounded me (no tower access), since she first saw me limpin'. She thought I was gettin' better, 'cause I wasn't limpin' hardly at all....but has been suspicious that I was pushin' through it to do what I wanted & just plain ignorin' it. Yesterday, I hardly limped at all.

This mornin'....I was walkin' around like a three legged dog...I wouldn't put my paw down. That did it! She called my vet. I thought I was gonna get outa it, since they didn't have an openin' till next Tuesday, but they called an' said they had a cancellation if we could come right then.

Before I knew it...road trip! Woohoo...just me an' her...we didn't even tell Lexie. She was out watchin' squirrels. We just left. Our 15 minute trip turned into almost 30 'cause of a huge wreck that involved an ambulance an' a big dumpster full of concrete. We had to take all these weird backroads, take right turns an' do "U" turns 'cause traffic was backed up for miles to turn left (mom's a crafty driver, too)..but we made it in time for my appointment.

You know I love Petsmart...it's my original fan base. I love to strut my stuff around that place. Even to see the vet, I like to...well, be me! Now, this is where mom got her nose outa joint. I wasn't limpin'. The vet couldn't find anythin' wrong w/me...in fact he an' his assistant (she's cute an' I really like her) took me for a walk around the clinic....an' the vet came back an' told mom that I have a "perfect gait" (of course I do).......an' no limp.

Mom was almost flabbergasted...an' before she could stop herself, she told my vet, "he's lying to you". While the vet an' his assistant laughed at mom...she tried to explain that I (bein' an airedale) have a high pain threshold an' I'm showin' off an' ignorin' any pain I have in that leg or foot.

The vet to humor mom....did all the pokin' an proddin' that she has already done....then he said w/out xrays...it'd be hard to pinpoint the problem....it could be arthritis (Dr Mom doesn't think so....it started too abruptly)....or it's a strain to the foot, elbow or shoulder.

Mom just kinda looked at him...then asked the obvious question of what his plan of action for any of those....antiinflammatories an' rest? He looked at mom...an' was startin' to clue in on her mood an' carefully answered in the affimative..an' wrote a RX....in the meantime, I was flirtin' w/the assistant.

As we left (I strutted)...mom called me a liar, again, then of all things...she marched me over to the groomin' shop an' told 'em to cut my nails...an' as a partin' shot to me..."since you don't have anythin' wrong w/you". Then she left me there. I was ok w/that....I like them cute girls there, too...I coulda' done w/out the nail clippin' though. Mom said it was payback for my "act" in the clinic.....