New and Improved: The Pupillons are “Fixed”

We Love Animal Trustees of Austin!

I just got Squirrel and Coyote fixed this past Friday, May 3rd. And by “fixed” I mean that I took away their sole biological purpose. You know, to reproduce themselves. Ha ha. But seriously, now that they don’t have that urgency driving their every action, they can focus on some of the other wonderful possibilities that being on the planet offers. Like being Circus Dogs! How fun is that?

This was our morning play session before going to ATA. The little guys didn't get to have any food and decided to play in this suitcase. — This was our morning play session before going to ATA. The little guys didn’t get to have any food and decided to play in this suitcase.

Well, it’ll be a lot of work and responsibility, but that’s the torture of sentience. No more drunken orgies of unconsidered action fueled by the delicious draughts of vagary of whim stirred well with biological urge. No, that’s the thing about sentience, even being around it changes one, even a dog like me. Hopefully even dogs of a dog like me.

As I have found friends that have a clear view of reality, it tortures me to see the world through their eyes. But it has helped me see more things to

The Pups playing in the suitcase led to the other dogs' interest in it as well. Might as well take a pic! — The Pups playing in the suitcase led to the other dogs’ interest in it as well. Might as well take a pic!

improve on. And then I have to work on them, not because it matters, but because to not address a known problem is why we have things like that Bangladesh building collapse. And my life is already strewn with enough rubble from past collapses, not that you care. I have an emotional bulldozer clearing that mess away as we speak and I am lightening my load considerably these days.

And not that you asked, but if you want my best advice on how to manage your

Of course, these "pictures" are really just good old fashioned distraction training. — Of course, these “pictures” are really just good old fashioned distraction training.

todo list it’s this: Take the biggest problem and work on that and nothing else until it is completed. Bam! Huge improvement!

My biggest problem? There are so many known, mandatory-to-address problems that I just freeze up trying to think about what’s most important; thinking about how doing one will make another worse and how they all fit together, some actually being mutually exclusive, and which one should I be addressing right now for my financial well-being versus which one I should be doing for my physical needs, and trust me, I do my best to ignore the psychological mess that gets thrown in because that halts all actual physical world improvements. When I start thinking about how I FEEL about something? That’s when I freeze up. Then as I’m staring at the floor, motionless, Skeeter comes into my field of vision, by which I mean I still don’t see him, and barks twice at me. The first time gets me to look at him. It’s funny-it’s like he’s snapping his fingers to wake me out of a trance-I look at him, and the second bark is my friend Jeff’s admonition from a decade back when a tenant had moved out of an apartment with unpaid rent, leaving kids’ drawings right on the walls, “Quit your whining and throw some paint on the walls!” After this second bark, Skeeter then jumps up and I have to catch him in my arms. It’s good, it focuses me back on doing something. And that’s what I need to escape despair another moment-to know that I’m doing something to improve the situation.

And it doesn’t even matter that I know the situation is terminal-I’m practically dead right now, my hoped-for 50 remaining years being a blip in human existence. There’s a scene in Team America where one marionette is trying to make time with another marionette and she has just had the love of her life die and she can’t be intimate with someone who could die so the guy promises, “I will NEVER die.” I practically roll on the floor every time I see that scene. The subsequent action of the unrated version is simply not to be missed. It’s weird that the censors seem to have a problem with the depiction of chocolate pudding. I wouldn’t let the kids see it, but come on, who doesn’t love chocolate pudding?

Here’s a link to the “I will never die,” scene-it made me laugh two more times just now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yaTCXcvTGY You’ll have to find the next scene yourself-this is meant to be a generally family-friendly site.

Anyway, just trying to improve on stuff is what gets me through the day. I’m happy to report that it’s a rare case when I have to work on a project that I don’t really care deeply about, what some call a job description.

Anyway, this is a story about getting the dogs fixed. This was a requirement to getting Squirrel and Coyote for free from their breeder. NO PROBLEM! I have

Know what happens to dogs who stick their tongues out at people taking their pictures?

thoughts of breeding certain super awesome but different breed dogs from time to time but there’s a mis-application of time and effort that I hope to never make. I mean there are so many great accidents out there at any shelter you walk into right now. Or without even getting up, go to petfinder.com, and you’ll get a good description of tons of great dogs with an actual assessment of their personalities and what type of home they’d be appropriate in. That’s how I wound up with the gorgeous, perfectly-proportioned, smart, lovable Moose and Mouse, a combination that should totally be bred. What great dogs, whatever they happen to be mixed with. I got Skeeter because he was listed on Petfinder too, for that matter. Plus, no messy, gross birth process, and litters of puppies to deal with!

Anyway, I’d been thinking about when to get the pupillons fixed when I went to Peter Pan Mini Golf for a friend’s birthday a few Mondays back and met a certain paid staff member at Animal Trustees of Austin. I had always thought about ATA in the

Animal Trustees of Austin is conveniently located across the street from The Carousel Lounge.

same terms as free healthcare clinics-kind of like they were a ghetto dog services place, but then I realized something. While ATA is indeed the lowest-cost provider of spays and neuters that I know about (it seems that free is actually an option for certain people!), they are the ones doing more of these surgeries than anyone else. And whoever is doing the most has the most experience, and why would I want someone with less experience? Well I asked my very-knowledgeable animal advocate friends and got nothing but great reports about Animal Trustees of Austin. Uniform five star ratings across the board.

And I am happy to report one more Five Star, Circus Chickendog approval rating. Animal Trustees of Austin has a fabulous operation. I don’t think it took 15 minutes to drop off the dogs and fill out the paperwork. Everybody was super friendly and helpful. Before taking the dogs, there was a very thorough consultation where someone went over the paperwork and emphasized the important things I needed to know, and made sure they knew what I wanted to have done and expected. Then, after taking the pups into the back they didn’t have any problem with me coming back into the pre-op area for one last visit with the pups before leaving, saying, “We love people who love their dogs.” They even offered to take this picture of me with them!

The great staff at Animal Trustees of Austin offered to take this picture of me with the Pupillons before their surgery.

Same story when I came back to pick them up. There was a volunteer who talked me through the post op things I needed to know and do. She was very clear about

Here I am picking the pups up after their surgeries.

everything and answered several questions I had. I was out in practically no time and even picked up very inexpensive treatments for heartworm and fleas for all the dogs at the house. I mean it isn’t free having seven dogs so this kind of resource definitely helps. I’ll be back!

Thanks Animal Trustees of Austin!

Here are some more post-op cone head pictures.

Poor little guy-I've never seen his eyes without a glint of cunning in them. That's why he's named, "Coyote." — Poor little guy-I’ve never seen his eyes without a glint of cunning in them. That’s why he’s named, “Coyote.”

The two buddies get to share all of their major life moments together.

I prefer to think that Squirrel is just dressed up in a futuristic version of an Elizabethan Collar.