Gratitude Part I

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like to dedicate some entries to blessings that should not be taken for granted, but often are. First up: my friend, the Internet.

Cate got spayed yesterday and was returned to us sans cone (which apparently politically correct dog owners call an Elizabethan collar...far too regal a title for such a clumsy contraption, as far as I'm concerned), so I set to work last night googling some alternative ways to keep her from licking her stitches.

Plan A: Bear's T-shirt

Although Bear thought I was crazy for proposing this idea in the first place, he graciously sacrificed one of his own t-shirts for the cause of robbing Cate of what's left of her dignity. He apologized to her the entire time we wrestled her into it, but let the record show he was also doing a fair amount of giggling with me, and took a few pics of his own. As you can see, it was too big on her, and she wiggled out of it before very long.

Plan B: My T-shirt

This one was a bit smaller, and a lot cuter on her, thanks to some creative cutting and knot-tying on my part (I was a child of the 80's, when we tied all T-shirts in a side knot...who knew that would come in handy someday?). She still managed to wiggle out of it overnight, though. Note her demon eyes beginning to glow with rage and indignation:

Plan C: The Onesie

When the t-shirt options failed, I consulted my pal Google yet again, and found a tip about using a baby onesie. It turns out Cate is a size 24 months, but this 18-month one will have to do for now. Bear thinks she looks like a puppy torpedo, but it does stay on.

Score: Humans 1, Pup 0

Disclaimer: These photos do not, in any way, suggest a general willingness to dress the aforementioned puppy in clothes. Circumstances being what they are, it served only as a last resort and is a practice that will be terminated upon removal of stitches...in two weeks. The maternity-sized straightjacket can stay on reserve for now.

So, thank you, Internet, for solving our puppy problem AND giving us quite a bit of entertainment over the last 24 hours. In addition, I must say that although Cate wasn't high on my list of Favorite Creatures when her fugitive puppy escapades kept forcing me up the G.U.S., I've worried and fussed over her enough lately that I must admit she is, as Bear has always claimed, "just a Love Pup." (Pray that you never have to hear me burst into my rendition of "She's just a love pup-py" to the tune of "I'm just a love machine." And five points for knowing which "Friends" guest star sang that song into a mirror.) All of us, but especially Cubby, are thankful that Cate adopted us: