Poor pathetic pooch!

As I mentioned in my previous post, this weekend I was in Idaho visiting my parents and attending a funeral. It was a lovely weekend, and my parents appreciated the visit. They've been stuck at home for almost two months now after my dad discovered that he'd herniated two discs in his back at Christmas. He was doing pretty well until he accidentally re injured his back last week. Sad day! Needless to say they were grateful for my visit.

However, the real part of my trip that I want to talk in this post about is my parents' dog, Reggie. I'm sure it's kind of lame and cliche to talk about pets in a post, but be that as it may, I'm going to do it anyway. Here's a picture of what Reggie's face looks like. (His full name is Ebony Reginald Monroe Winn, the name my sister and brother in law gave him shortly after they bought him. It's because he's a pure bred, so he came with papers full of generations of doggie ancestors with fancy names.)


Anyway, I have to feel sorry for the dog. He's getting a little older (almost 12 years old) and he's full of problems. He's a full-bred Cocker Spaniel, and I would advise anyone thinking about getting a full bred dog to re-think their decision. Pure breds=in-bred problems.


In all fairness I will say that some breeds are more prone to problems than others. Cockers are known for having problems with their ears. Reggie is no exception; in fact, my parents found out a few months ago that he has a growth in one of his ears. It's too dangerous to try to remove it, so he just has to live with it. The problem is that it makes him stink, and when I say stink, I mean reek! It's no fun to have him come lay anywhere in the near vicinity of where you might be sitting because of his strong odor. He can stink up an entire room just by laying somewhere in it. It's sad really! At Christmas my younger brother compared him to "the stinky kid in class that nobody wants to sit by." It makes me chuckle thinking about it, but I also find it sad!

He also most likely has some serious arthritis in his legs so he walks with a limp and is constantly chewing on his paws. Poor Reggie!

I have to tell you about the way that he asks to be let in after you put him outside because it's pretty much hilarious. First of all he scratches at the door. When that doesn't work, he bams against the door. Next it's one simple "Woof!" and if he isn't let in, it's two barks. After that he loses patience and full out barks. My parents are not cruel by any means and in fact my dad dotes on that dog, but he finds it funny to wait when he knows Reggie wants in to listen to him go through his "I want back in the house" cycle. If it's really cold outside, he'll sometimes skip from scratching and bamming directly to two barks or full-out barking. At least he's polite when he wants to be let in!

I have to admit that much as I might be bothered by his strong stench, I feel sorry for him. It's not his fault he's kind of pathetic.