Gah, I hate animals. So much effort, they're always underfoot; for what? Over the summer our oldest dog (Australian Shepard, Black Lab, mutt mix; yes we did genetic test, bc wife) stopped walking and pooping. He would start to whine and whimper so I would try to ease a towel under him, he would try to bite me for doing it, then use the towel like a sling to carry him outside so he could pee, but he wouldn't. Then I would carry him back in and then he would let loose. He couldn't get up on his feet, but he would army crawl around and get himself stuck behind things or in corners. Then he would whine and cry and bark to be saved. Rinse and repeat for several weeks. The vets said his liver and kidneys seemed to be working fine. They could only suggest doing super expensive x-rays and stuff to see if he had brain cancer. If he did, then best to put down. If he didn't, they couldn't explain why he was acting that way. That was not quality life for him. We decided to have him put down. It was an agonizing decision. Best guess was he was at least 9 when we got him, had him for 8 years, so he may have just been on his way out anyway, but still.

Now "our" cat is sick. Ten years ago my brother-in-law wanted to move to Boston, but his apartment didn't allow pets. He asked if we could keep his cat for a year or two and we stupidly agreed. Ten years we have had her. BIL moved back after a year, but got another apartment that didn't allow pets, then got married and his spouse hates cats. So, ten years we have had her. Two years ago she started getting weird rashes that would scab over and not go away. Vet thought she might be allergic to chicken. Seriously? Chicken? Do you know how hard it is to find cat food without any chicken product in it at all? So we paid through the nose for food, but it didn't change anything. Well, except that she would refuse to eat it after a while forcing us to hunt for another brand. After a year I gave up on that. In the meantime they suggested that she might have a form of eczema. So they put her on steroids. She has been on steroids for a year and half now, still no improvement. Then a few months ago they said she may have a thyroid issue. So now she is on thyroid meds. Still no improvement. She has always had super long nails, and we would get them trimmed every time we took her to see the vet. Last time was end of October. Last week we noticed that they were longer and fatter than usual. Brought her in this week to get them cut and for another check-up. Now they say she has breast cancer. C'mon! And they gave us a ration of crap for not bringing her in sooner since there was no skin improvement with the thyroid medication. Now they want to know if we are going to be committed enough to come in every two weeks for treatment (whatever that entails) or do we want to just put her down since we can't provide her with a good quality of life. For a cat that isn't even ours!

In the mean time, Christmas weekend, my wife found a puppy that she thought looked just like our other dog (American Bulldog, Boxer, Jindo mix; again genetic test because wife) and would be good to keep him company while we worked. And with me working from home (still) I would be able to potty train her (the new dog, not my wife). The more I look at her, the more I am convinced that she is a Jack Russell Terrier. A freaking small dog (my stated requirement from day one was that any dog we got had to be over 50lbs). And she has taken an interest in digging under our fence, so I have to stand there and watch her when I let the dogs out to play and potty. Grrr. NO. MORE. PETS!