Wrinkly Bits
A Blog by Gail Cushman
Originally posted 2/4/26
Cody has been dragging his usual sort-of-good-natured self since we returned home from parts unknown, as he calls them. We thought he had a sore tooth and took him to our local vet, who confirmed he had a toothache or some such malady and suggested that we have his teeth cleaned. Tooth cleaning for dog? Oh well, lots of strange things happen these days, but that’s just in the political world, not in dogs. Getting anywhere close to Cody’s teeth is akin to taking your life in your hands, because his choppers are long, pointed, and sharp as knives. Take it from one who knows.
The Vet advised “no breakfast for Cody” this morning, and he jumped right into the car, happy not to be left behind. For Cody, a ride in the car always leads to extra pats and often a snack of leftover lunch from the Cowboy or me. He was raring to go and didn’t complain one iota about the lack of food.
We arrived early and Cody was oh-so-happy to be there, not that he had any clue about where we were going or why he had been deprived of breakfast. He jumped out of the car and sniffed and peed and properly checked things out before we went into the clinic. Two other dogs had arrived before him, so three dogs did the I’m-the-boss-face-off. One was half the size of Cody, but had a wicked bark. He might have been Schnauzer. The other one was twice his size, A German Wirehaired Pointer, but he was pleasant. The three dogs sniffed each other’s you-know-what, and everybody passed muster and sat down waiting for something to happen. About that time, two more dogs came in, a little snippet of a dog, maybe a Chihuahua and a giant white dog, nearly to my chin, the biggest dog I had ever seen, the owner said it was a Great Pyrenees. I nodded and backed away. Cody took station between Cowboy’s leg and surveyed the others, then looked at me and his eyes said, “This cannot be good. Let’s go home.”
The Vet-tech-girls scurried around taking names, ranks, and serial numbers, and one by one led each pooch to the backroom. All wagged their tails, seemed happy as could be, but now and then, we heard a high howl. For the dogs, it was just another day going someplace, doing something, not really knowing why or where.
As we handed Cody off to the Vet Tech, his tail and ears dropped simultaneously and he let out a barely audible growl. The vet-tech-girl said, “He’ll be fine, as soon as you leave.” We opened the door, and heard the scraping of his claws and a mournful cry as we left the building. This cannot be good.
Good news! The Vet just called. Cody has clean teeth, no mouth issues, and will be ready in an hour.
