I go into shock when I see the dollar signs on radiation treatment for my dog.
For the first time, I walk out of Animal Specialty & Emergency Center on Sepulveda Blvd. at Santa Monica Blvd. in tears.
Bad enough to have spent so much money already on this dog I picked up in the desert two months ago.
And now more? $2000?
Even I am not crazy enough to pay that.
Nor is my husband.
I take the dogs for a walk into Santa Monica College, near my house. There's a nice enclosed grassy lawn with a beautiful fountain. I need some thinking time.
Never mind that dogs are not allowed on the campus. What's a small ticket compared to the numbers I'm facing?
Nailah enjoys herself trying to climb a palm tree to get a squirrel. Stormy prances around the fountain as if it's an agility training course.
When I get home, Marie calls me. Her brand new iPhone 5s arrived.
After a while, I tell her that the vet is recommending radiation for Nailah, and the cost is pretty scary.
"Dad's going to kill me if I spend any more on this dog," I confide. "I have to raise the money somehow."
She gets it. "So what ideas do you have, Mom?"
"I've decided to write a book on Nailah and make millions of dollars. Everybody loves dog books."
"Mom, I think you'll raise it faster with a bake sale," she answers.
We make a list:
1. Bake sale.
2. Tutoring kids at Santa Monica High School.
3. Getting a job at Santa Monica College. (I've tried that before, I tell her.)
4. Setting up a fund for Nailah and asking for donations as a Christmas present.
5. Dog sitting and dog walking.
6. Writing a book that will sell a million copies.
I favor the last option.
We agree that this is a crisis. Marie is very sympathetic, but she knows when something is too big for a little long-distance compassion.
"You better call your therapist."
Photos of Nailah and Stormy on our walk:
https://picasaweb.google.com/102150538747404124091/2013InjunDogAndThePalmTree
For the first time, I walk out of Animal Specialty & Emergency Center on Sepulveda Blvd. at Santa Monica Blvd. in tears.
Bad enough to have spent so much money already on this dog I picked up in the desert two months ago.
And now more? $2000?
 |
| Nailah trying to get the squirrel she chased up a palm tree. |
Even I am not crazy enough to pay that.
Nor is my husband.
I take the dogs for a walk into Santa Monica College, near my house. There's a nice enclosed grassy lawn with a beautiful fountain. I need some thinking time.
Never mind that dogs are not allowed on the campus. What's a small ticket compared to the numbers I'm facing?
Nailah enjoys herself trying to climb a palm tree to get a squirrel. Stormy prances around the fountain as if it's an agility training course.
When I get home, Marie calls me. Her brand new iPhone 5s arrived.
After a while, I tell her that the vet is recommending radiation for Nailah, and the cost is pretty scary.
"Dad's going to kill me if I spend any more on this dog," I confide. "I have to raise the money somehow."
She gets it. "So what ideas do you have, Mom?"
"I've decided to write a book on Nailah and make millions of dollars. Everybody loves dog books."
"Mom, I think you'll raise it faster with a bake sale," she answers.
We make a list:
1. Bake sale.
2. Tutoring kids at Santa Monica High School.
3. Getting a job at Santa Monica College. (I've tried that before, I tell her.)
4. Setting up a fund for Nailah and asking for donations as a Christmas present.
5. Dog sitting and dog walking.
6. Writing a book that will sell a million copies.
I favor the last option.
We agree that this is a crisis. Marie is very sympathetic, but she knows when something is too big for a little long-distance compassion.
"You better call your therapist."
Photos of Nailah and Stormy on our walk:
https://picasaweb.google.com/102150538747404124091/2013InjunDogAndThePalmTree
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