Totally off-topic I guess except it's Christmas Eve and the world is so damn mean.
My beloved beagle, Sundance, passed away over Thanksgiving weekend. She had kidney failure but it could have been "chronic" had the vet not totally screwed up. A long story filled with a tragedy of errors and needless suffering for her in the end.
She also suffered from hip dysplasia that went undiagnosed until her hips and back were in constant pain from arthritis. I feel really guilty over that except I'm reading that this happens alot.
So last night I go on Craig's List and find a new beagle pup. He's adorable, about 6 months old, rather skittish but really sweet. The guy selling him is full of crap, shifting justifications (the owner is moving/has two dogs/my mom won't let me keep him) but I don't care because he's a good dog in need of a home.
Except after 24 hours it's clear he's suffering hip dysplasia! After a couple short walks and an extended outing to the pet store (he picked out a toy), he is in quite a bit of pain and sleeping it off. I've given him glucosamine and made him comfortable until I can get him to a vet.
I won't dump this little guy on someone else. Just keeping him more comfortable won't be horribly costly but to alleviate the potential suffering he may need surgery. Luckily he's young and probably hasn't got arthritis - yet. We'll see when I get him to the vet Friday.
But someone did dump him, and lied about his condition (the guy gave several "hints" that tell me, in hindsight, he was well aware of this dog's condition), a lie that could have led to him suffering without diagnosis and being considered "nervous" instead of his new mom or dad knowing he was in pain.
As I said, he's such a sweetheart (as all beagles are!) and still just a babe, and doesn't deserve this crappy start. I actually paid a bunch of money for him, gladly, figuring I was helping out a family with expenses to date and giving them a little spending money for the holidays.
Instead I'm bailing out a family who just doesn't want to deal with the headache of a pup who needs special attention.
Of course this is also a metaphor of the social darwinism in our way of life. The poor little guy needs a little extra help, and they fall out of love with him after 6 months and dump him without so much as a heads up to his new family just in case they have hearts and want to help him avoid a life of pain.
What jerkoffs.
Bah effing humbug! Mean people suck!!