Alas poor Oberon...

I took Obie for his final vet appointment last Friday. His life was no longer fun in any way for him. He had stopped eating, refused to take his pills and was having great difficulty getting up and down the stairs to go outside. His hair was coming out in huge chunks from all the stress and pain of shrunken muscles and arthritis in the hips. I couldn't bear watching him waste away.

When I got to the vet's I found I had to wait in line for my pet to be euthanized. A woman ahead of me began sobbing inconsolably as her cat was put down. Fortunately, I had left Obie in the truck while I went in to handle the paperwork and payments. To sit there and wait with him while that was going on would have been too much to take. So I sat alone in the lobby and silently dabbed at my own tears while the woman mourned her cat. Once she left, I went out for Obie. Carried him in and held him in my arms. He buried his head in my chest as the shot brought him down.

I felt for the vet and her staff. Euthanasia's are scheduled at the end of the day. The final final appointments. Hell of a way to end your day and to have them stacked up in a row. Life sucks when it has to end, that's for sure.

Oberon was a big dog with a Husky's coat and eyes, and a retriever's joy in fetching objects. He lived a good 15 years. The past couple of weeks brought about a rapid decline. He wasn't going to get better and the pain was only going to get worse. It's a very hard thing to go through, but I only hope that should I face that kind of death, I'll find the help I need to go beyond the pain.

I got back in my truck and headed home to pack for Cincinnati for a weekend of professional development. I left the cat in the care of the pet sitter. Got on 71 and headed all the way down past Columbus through Queen City and on into Kentucky to a hotel at the airport. A four and half hour drive. For company, I had the new Kinks box set, Picture Book. I sang along through the six CDs all the way there. I sang away the ache in my heart for Obie for most of the way. But certain songs brought tears to my eyes. Misfits, for example: "Because it's true what they say, every dog has his day."

When I found Obie 15 years ago, he was a lost puppy in the middle of traffic in East Ave. I was a first year drama teacher, too poor to buy a car, walking home from school. I spotted this scrawny dirty puppy and called him out of harm's way. He attached himself immediately to me, imprinting like a newly hatched gosling, and he has been a one woman dog for the past 15 years. Totally loyal. I am missing my shadow tonight. He's not under the computer table. He's not giving me the bizarro eye stare indicating it is time to go outside.

Obie had one white eye and one brown eye. His eyes had been deteriorating of late. Sometimes I'd find him standing vacantly staring at nothing, looking lost and bewildered. Doggie dementia, perhaps.

Above is the last portrait of Oberon with favorite squeaky toy. We had a good time together over winter break. He loved to catch and fetch his toys. We had a good long run together.
Alas poor Oberon, I knew him well...a canine of infinite joy in squeaky toys.

Fragments from the past week

Another senseless murder happened in Akron this week on a corner I pass at least four times a day as I go to and from work. The corner of Manchester and Thornton is a sad gang-infested nucleus in a cell filled with poverty and decay. A used appliance shop and a check cashing business are the only attractions. I've purchased washers and driers from Hairston's and I once went into the check cashing "store" to buy a bag of ice for a class party. Inside were a few shelves scattered with dusty cans and boxes. The main focus of the business was on supplying booze and cash loans to the locals.



















There are some wonderful old homes along that stretch of Manchester, but many are boarded up and the rest have the air of rot about them. Who has the money to fix up a house when you are living on a paycheck that hasn't even arrived. Anything you could put aside for home repairs is going into the interest charged on your payday loan.

Lots of young men hang out on the corners of this intersection, no matter the season or weather. There seems to be no place else to go. Now on the chain link fence bordering Thornton, balloons and a teddy bear mark the spot of another life wasted in one of Akron's grimmest wastelands. The traffic light was recently replaced by four stop signs. I wondered why at first, but now I'm thinking it is probably safer to not be sitting at a red light for any length of time at this unhappy corner.

Speaking of the weather (and who doesn't in NE Ohio?), we've been enduring January-like temps and snow for weeks now. Saturday was one of those days I'd rather not be out driving, but since we had a show, there was nothing to do but bundle up and load the truck and head on out onto slick roads and incessant snow. Heading toward Montrose on 77, I was thrilled to see a red Smart forTwo car zooming past us all in the fast lane! March (my EDD - estimated delivery date) can't get here soon enough for me. This is not the car I saw on the highway -- it may have had winter tires, but not like these:






















Obie, the ever faithful Huskador retriever, has found a new lease on life or at least -- he is enjoying the new living arrangements I made for him to help ease his day to day life as a most senior canine. According to this source, a 15 year old canine is equivalent to a 90 year old human. So in order to help Obie get around, I've put non-skid throw rugs everywhere and moved down to the ground floor so he doesn't feel obligated to go up and down the steep stairs. I also got him a very thick foam cushion for sleeping and he likes to sink his elderly joints into it at night and for long naps. He is also on pain medication for his arthritis and still enjoys his meals and short trips outside.

Obie in his element:

What bloody dog is this?

What bloody dog is this with ear bandaged? Who could have done such a deed? Was it Lady Macbeth? No, it was Ophelia, gone mad!
















I took one look at her guilty face and knew she must have come too near Oberon's dinner bowl. He objected. She slashed the inside tip of his ear. Who would have thought the old dog to have had so much blood in him?

And so it was off to the Animal ER, as I pondered why I hadn't named this dog Macbeth instead of Oberon. It was a matter of his fey eyes and majestic stance. Perhaps I should be asking myself why did I name the cat Ophelia instead of Lady Macbeth.

This particular cat and dog have lived together in harmony since last December. Prior to that, Oberon has lived with other cats without any sort of strife. He's getting on in years now, and the arthritis makes him grumpy. He is home now, with plenty of pain medicine and an antibiotic to take, his ear wrapped up and looking sad.
















Ophelia resorts to cute poses in an attempt to make up for her costly attack. $175 -- ouch! And yet, the woman standing in line ahead of me at the Animal ER calmly paid a bill for $750.















Ophelia's eyes are actually both yellow. Oberon has one white eye and one brown eye. They have made peace with each other, it would seem. Or is Oberon plotting revenge? We hope not, having spent a good deal of time cleaning up the blood spatters. Yet here's a spot....

Post-holiday plastic wrap-up

What aesthetic urge prompts people to put out giant plastic inflatable decorations? I'm not just picking on Xmas here, I don't want to see inflatable turkeys, goblins, leprechauns, easter bunnies or any other such creatures lurching about in the wind in front of a neighbor's house. One night of a good winter storm's wind and the inflatable looks like the one at left, wilted into a pissed off expression!

The idea is to use Less Plastic not more, along with Less Energy Usage, and not to buy Things that will end up in The Landfill after one season's use.

In the spirit of ignoring all the hype and wanting to keep my out-going trash to a minimum, I avoided most holiday temptations. It is always a pleasure not to shop during the weeks prior to Xmas. And this year, I also avoided the After Sales Events. Sometimes the things one really needs are not for sale any where. Things like peace and quiet and a new kitten who came into this household on December 23rd.

I gathered up my cloth shopping bags and headed to Pets Plus for kitten food. I was somewhat startled to see the sign posted: "Special Extended Holiday Shopping Hours!" Was this so Fido could have extra time making up his mind what to purchase for his fellow animal companions?



However, I did not leave that store without succumbing to temptations. I bought a bed for the kitten, which turned out to be a good thing. She loves it and I find her curled up in it when I get home from outside adventures. I probably could have made something similar out of recycled materials, but like millions of other people -- I chose convenience.

Then I made a stupid purchase -- a kitty play gym for fifty bucks. It is constructed of pieces of pressed wood covered with petroleum based carpeting, something I don't have anywhere in my house. There is a play mouse on a string hanging inside a hoop. The hoop is made out of a pressed wood form (a process that uses formaldehyde) and the mouse upon closer inspection is made from some kind of real fur (shudder). No country of origin listed on a label anywhere. The brand name is Kitty Condo.



Later back home, and racked with guilt, I looked online to see if I could find a "green" cat gym. I found one made out of PVC (!) and another made out of pressed wood covered with faux fleece, and one that is made to look like a tree stump but doesn't list materials used. Here's a very expensive cat gym, without carpeting, but made out of veneered plywood and covered with polyurethane coating. The designer had the living room decor more in mind than the comfort and safety of the cat with that one.

My quick search for "green" cat gyms and condos did not turn up anything suitable. Obviously, this is a market waiting to be tapped. Just another one of those little local green businesses I wish I could walk down Kenmore Blvd and find.



At Pets Plus, I also bought a half-off Xmas squeaky ball for Obie. He's been carrying it around ever since, never letting it get far from sight. Both animals are retrievers. Ophelia arrived here with a foam rubber ball that was her favorite kitten toy. She will run after every toss and then leap back up onto the couch and drop the ball for me to toss again. I've never seen anything like it in a cat!

Ophelia likes the kitty gym, but after a good work out, she heads over to the couch to hang out with Oberon.