[Dailydrool] Best Things

[Elizabeth via Dailydrool]

Hands down the very best thing we’ve bought for our dogs was the doggie door we put in for our late Elsinore, who had a tremendous need to be self-sufficient and self-directed. She also had a need to go out and patrol the perimeter of the backyard every half hour, while I had the conflicting need of staying put at my desk and getting work done instead of playing doorman all day to an impatient basset.

After Elsinore died and we moved to a different house, we put in a doggie door for young Charlie. He’s not very independent, but in this house we have to go down five steps from the main level to the back door. We don’t like to let our bassets do stairs any more than necessary because it’s better for their backs if they don’t. It’s also better for my back if I’m not having to haul forty-plus pounds (he’s a small basset) up and down the stairs several times a day. So we gave Charlie a doggie door.

A second best thing is the wood ramp we’ve had built onto the side of the house that allows Charlie to go through his doggie door at the side of the house and get down to the backyard without having to do stairs. The ramp makes a ninety-degree turn halfway down, and he’s discovered how nice it is to have his own private, elevated little deck to sunbathe on.

A third best thing is the stroller/buggy conveyance I got for Charlie last fall. His front legs and feet are so deformed that he has joint pain when a walk lasts longer than a couple of blocks. The buggy allows him to enjoy longer walks.

Finally, the anal gland surgery we gifted our first basset, Jane, with was a best thing. It turned out her anal glands were the size more commonly found in large dogs like German shepherds. Which explained why they needed expressing every other day and would express themselves in the back seat of the car during rides lasting more than half an hour. Not a single one of us ever missed those anal glands after they were gone. 

Elizabeth
linktolindsey at gmail.com