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Project Scout: Diagnosis by puppy
By Gina Spadafori
August 27, 2010
Wednesday night I cracked my skull on the edge of an open drawer in the kitchen and gave myself a concussion. Diagnosis: I’ll be fine, after two-three days of whanging headaches. I’m glad I was able to get the urgent-care doc to laugh at how I gave myself a concussion picking up a fork (off the floor).
But if it hadn’t been for Scout, the guest golden puppy, I wouldn’t have realized how severe the injury was. See how handy our pets are?
Here’s how it went down:
Thursday morning I woke up around 4 a.m., because the puppy was trying to get on the bed. Which means he was loose in the house, which means I didn’t crate him before falling asleep, which means I wasn’t in my right mind, because I have had countless dogs — my own and many, many fosters — over the years, and I never would forget something so basic as putting a puppy in his crate before bed.
The puppy was unharmed by his free access to the house, but there was the little matter of my eyeglasses. I couldn’t find them, anywhere, and that was also odd, because I always put them on the nightstand.
Between the loose puppy and the missing eyeglasses (oh, and the searing headache), I knew I needed to see the doctor. So I did.
Which meant that Scout spent another day mostly keeping himself company, since I went straight from the urgent-care to the eye doctor, because they had a cancellation and I was overdue for an exam, anyway.
By late afternoon I was beat, but Scout and Faith were full of beans from their boring day at home. I put them out for a couple minutes and made a few calls, only to have it confirmed, once again, that if you give a puppy the opportunity to find trouble, he will. It’s amazing how quickly youngsters can get dirty, isn’t it?
Fortunately, the trouble he got into was of the wash-and-go variety, so I hosed the mud off and all was well. I sat outside while everyone burned some energy, and then I looked around the yard for my glasses, to no avail.
This morning I found them, in the puppy’s crate.
Good thing I went ahead and ordered new ones, isn’t it?
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Hope the headache is better soon ! If the only thing Scout got after being loose most of the night was your glasses, be happy. It could have been many things & at least he didn’t swallow them.
Comment by Leslie K — August 27, 2010 @ 8:31 am
What are you talking about? You can still see through those. Everything might be just a bit spotty.
Scout is a good boy, I am sure FayBee rolled him in the mud. He would never do that to himself. :-)
Comment by Jill — August 27, 2010 @ 8:32 am
Scout has spots, sort of, your glasses have spots, sort of. I hope you are not seeing spots due to the concussion.
I am forever banging my head on cabinet doors left open, the stove part that sticks out, the closed cabinets that are placed just above my head, to list a few, but you topped it by getting a REAL concussion. Congratulations!
:)
I was wondering though, with all the puppy work, are you getting material for another book, possible called PUPPY LOVE?
Anyhow, I am glad you solved the mystery of the missing eyeglasses. It is no fun having a lot of work to do sans eyeglasses if you usually wear them.
Comment by Evelyn — August 27, 2010 @ 8:53 am
Clearly, Scout was worried by your odd behavior, and to comfort himself, he took something of yours into his crate for the night. :)
Comment by Lis — August 27, 2010 @ 8:53 am
I figure Scout knew you weren’t seeing straight, so he went right for the logical culprit - your glasses. Obviously faulty, he made sure you’d be forced to get new ones. Smart puppy! So very helpful, too!
As for the condition of your glasses, I just have to say that I LOVE puppy etchings. It’s been a bazillion years since I’ve had a puppy, but I still come across household items with teeth marks. I smile every time I see them.
Comment by Rori — August 27, 2010 @ 9:03 am
My drivers license was “customized” by FayBee when she was a BayBee. (The wallet it was in was completely demolished.) Every time I fly, the TSA agent looks up with a “WTF?” expression.
“Puppy,” I say.
I have yet to have one not break into a grin.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — August 27, 2010 @ 9:06 am
Everyone stop talking to Gina… she’s supposed to be EDITING. ;)
Comment by Christie Keith — August 27, 2010 @ 9:11 am
She can’t edit; she has headache!
Comment by Lis — August 27, 2010 @ 9:14 am
My first thought was that perhaps you crated your glasses instead of the puppy…though it sounds like the crate door was open anyway.
Love the mud pic…and to go all night “free” and not demolish your house from the inside…Scout is surely a wonderful little tyke.
Comment by Michelle — August 27, 2010 @ 9:39 am
GOOD PUPPY. see Scout put himself to bed and brought along something to comfort himself. He was trying to be a big boy but needed something of yours.
Comment by mcappy — August 27, 2010 @ 10:23 am
Amazing that he left your glasses intact and didn’t swallow any itty-bitty pieces (like the nosepiece). And now look — he’s black & tan, a very respectable dog color! Well, kinda. Only it’s in reverse. :)
Hope your headache disappears fast! Don’t strain your brain *too* much, easy on the editing.
Comment by MizShepherdist — August 27, 2010 @ 10:31 am
ugh isn’t it amazing the damage you can do to yourself on open cabinets and drawers.
the last time i smashed my head i was unloading the dishwasher and whacked my head on the cabinet above it. i had to go lay down and cry. i’m a wimp but it hurt! And seeing stars didn’t help.
Comment by Sheyna — August 27, 2010 @ 10:51 am
Glad you are OK.
Scout clearly wants to be a seeing eye dog.
Comment by PBurns — August 27, 2010 @ 11:51 am
Hope you feel better soon. Sam let Otter out of her crate to play with her one night we went out for adult beverages. They were larking about the house when we got hom. Funny, Sam didn’t let Dooley or Bix out to join the fun though.
Comment by Verde — August 27, 2010 @ 12:01 pm
I hope your headache is gone and am glad you’re okay despite throwing your head around.
So, when does Scout leave?
Comment by Phyllis DeGioia — August 27, 2010 @ 4:14 pm
So Scout put himself to bed? With a nice chew toy? What a good puppy.
Glad to hear you’re ok and hope you feel better soon.
Comment by Pamela — August 27, 2010 @ 4:44 pm
looks like Scout is going to grow up to be a lens grinder. Perhaps he can get you discounts on glasses then? :-)
Comment by cheryl — August 27, 2010 @ 7:20 pm
I have come to learn after my dog came up missing, That Vets do not preform routine checks on all pets that come into there clinics. Unless the pet is picked up by a shelter the scan is NOT preformed anywear else. Why do Vets not do routine scans on ALL pets taken to them? It would cost very little to nothing and take seconds to preform. If this scan was preformed at a Vets clinic everytime, The return of MANY lost and STOLEN pets would be taken to a greater level of sucsess!!! My dog has her collar with the chip ID on it. If somebody has her, and know that she is chipped and wants to keep her they will never ASK for the scan and would never ask for her to be chipped for fear of being caught. The chip is allmost worthless in this case because the scan is not being done by Vets.
Comment by LeRoy Shaw — August 28, 2010 @ 3:10 am
Aw, Gina. My foster pups have managed to mangle two pair of my glasses over the years. My own fault of course. I now keep a spare pair around, just in case. Hope your head ache leaves you soon. Done that to myself too. :-)
Comment by Heather — August 29, 2010 @ 8:38 am