"Imperfections"
By Mona Lease

Hi, all!! My dog is roughly 10 and a half years old. She has "hot spots." The skin will turn red - she'll itch and dig - the hair falls out sometimes - it's a chore, to be sure. Her owner could not care for her. I got her when she was a year old. The hot spots came in the last 3 years. She has been a joy to me through it all. You know - aside from the fact that she physically can not lie to me - I do not think she would if she could - she asks little of me. She only wants to be with me - to go to the grocery with me and wait in the truck. And she is always happy to see me - oofing and tail wagging. There are those who think I should "put her down" - it's too much work - too much money. And -

My brain started churning. I know people who still smoke Marlboro cigarettes - $5.40+ a pack...you get where this is going. So - money situation that this is (in the peoples' minds that encourage the euthanasia) - I thought - "Is this what society has become?" If it is "inconvenient" or needs extra care - just destroy it?? And yet - humanly speaking - people adopt children from Russia, Poland, Romania (that I know) - with multiple defects. With loving hearts and open wallets - these individuals accept, care for, train, and love these "imperfections." Insurance does not (will not) pay 100% - in most cases. But the child's smile (dog's soft woofs?) is worth the risk, price, etc. Some "imperfections" will always be imperfections. (Sometimes the "purity" is in the "imperfect.") You know - no lying or head games - it's just out there and "up front." I just want to be part of a whole - in this case - part of a family - good night kisses, hugs and all.

Then my mind really took a veer. If an animal that is old - but still "capable" - she needs a little extra help with the hot spots - she can not put the medicine on her self -

How much more does this apply to humans? My dog trusted that I would care (love?) for her. When she was young it was all roses. Now that there is a "thorn" - is it really right to say - "It's too much"? And with humans - Most parents I know sacrifice for their kiddies. No one wants to sit up all night and watch a child be sick. And they give up the Friday Night Escapades, the cool looking shirt, the car, the pool cue, the season Cleveland Browns tickets, etc.

And - if my dog's antics are a help to me (gotta laugh outrightly as some of them!) - then shouldn't it be more so with people who can speak words - especially in these economic times? Isn't knowledge an "asset?" Shouldn't someone who - say - lived through the Depression - have knowledge? Shouldn't they know how to survive such things? Should we really "trash" that? And - if we put our elders in a nursing facility - and the "state pays" - that's tax dollars. So - aren't we really paying "someone" to tend to our "inconvenient business?" Which brings me to the current "insurance crisis." Again - "It's the aging process" - take some aspirin - use a band-aid.

Now, I do not know about you readers, but - after all my parents endured raising me - and working full time (that added insult to injury a few times) - they deserve better than aspirin or a band-aid. And so does Sosh (my dog).

Remember the kiddies and our service people. Take good care of the furry and feathered ones out there. Be safe and healthy. See ya next time. Ever Toodles!! MONA