PUPDATE

Our dog Due – pronounced Dewey but spelled Due because it’s Italian for two and he’s our second dog and we were going through an Italian phase – our dog Due is getting his teeth cleaned tomorrow. If you have a dog, and you concern yourself with these things, you’ll know that this is a huge and expensive ordeal. The dog needs to be put under, because they are not good in the dentist’s chair. As such, you’re paying for the anesthesia, the I.V., and, it would seem, flowers and a get-well card. It costs anywhere from $800 to $1400, depending on whether any teeth need to be extracted. I briefly considered trying to do it myself, but apparently its illegal, not to mention dangerous for both parties involved.

Apart from his gungy teeth, Due is a fine shape. He’s almost 6 now, just entering young middle age. He survived the Great Chocolate Christmas Binge, in which he managed to eat a pound and a half of dark chocolate, resulting in much carnage and a giant vet’s bill. It may have given him brain damage, but who can tell? He still sleeps on the couch, sometimes quite brazenly, taking his time to get down when someone walks in. His life goals include catching a squirrel once a day, although he would not really know what to do with one if he succeeded. He loves walks, Asta, and us, in that order, and hates swimming, cats, and being alone.

Asta turns 12 next week, and there’s no denying that she’s an old lady. She’s slow, almost blind, and leaks a bit. If she had a purse, she’d keep mints in it wrapped up in Kleenex.  She still loves her walks, but she tires easily. Her coat, once silky and golden, is a greyish beige, and she licks her elbows compulsively, resulting in dark spots. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we all became more beautiful with age? She takes medication at mealtimes for her incontinence, which she hates, so she tries to hide from me twice a day, breaking my heart just a little bit. She still only tolerates Due.

I’ve heard that once bigger dogs hit 12, they often go into free fall health-wise. Aidan is in complete denial. “She’s good!” he says, “she’s great! She can see fine!” This, as she walks into the wall. We got Asta the year after I went though cancer treatment, the same year John’s father died, and Aidan turned 13, and started a new school. He named her after the dog in the movie “The Thin Man”, although that Asta was a foxhaired terrier, and this one’s a doodle. In a year fraught with anxiety, Asta represented hope, and health, and new life. No one is ready to let her go.

Due, on the other hand, represents greed, sloth and tooth decay. We’re not ready to let him go either, but he’s not going anywhere, as long as we keep the chocolate locked up.

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