[Dailydrool] Hey wait a minute!

[Elizabeth Lindsey]

> So da brace helpt or so we thot until da Orthopedic Surgeon re- 
> evaluayated me and say dis: TAKE DAT BRACE OFF. HE NEED TO USE DEM  
> MUSCLES, NOT A BRACE. TAKE DIS PUPPY HOME AN LET HIM BE A PUPPY.  
> LET HIM TRY TO RUN AN PLAY.

When I read Lewis's post, I thought I was reading about myself. I was  
pigeon-toed as a child and an orthopedist put me in leg braces. Then  
my uncle, who was a general practitioner, finally told my parents  
that if I were his child, he'd take those braces off and let me be a  
child who runs, plays, rides a bike, and climbs a tree. He assured my  
parents that I'd manage just fine and my leg muscles would develop.  
So off came the braces and a short while later, into ballet class I  
went. Fortunately, I loved ballet and wound up taking it for almost  
20 years. I'm no longer pigeon-toed. I wonder what my parents did  
with those braces?

To make this basset-related, our young Charlie has deformed front  
feet that make him look as if he's standing in a perfect first  
position. Only he got his training at a Dolly Dinkle School of Dance  
because he rolls over on his ankles, which is really poor technique  
in the ballet world. He was born like this and doesn't know any  
different. He runs and plays and humps and reaches for magazines on  
top of the table without any problem. We've been told he'll have  
arthritis sooner rather than later in life, but we give him a  
glucosamine tablet twice a day to keep his joints healthy and try to  
keep him slightly underweight so his front legs don't have to bear  
any more weight than necessary. It's amazing how well dogs can adapt  
to congenital physical limitations and how little their overall  
happiness is affected.

Elizabeth