MY DOG ……. A SURPRISE FOR ME
OR
HOW I FINALLY GOT HIM!
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PAGE ELEVEN:
CASANOVA/PUPPY …….
PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE
AMERICA’S MOST WANTED!
America’s Most Wanted – Past & Present
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THE INCIDENT
Although my dog is protective of me, he is also very protective of the fence along the front garden. He dislikes it when certain people, cats and any dog come too close to it. It is strange, but he is not aggressive towards all people that approach it, only certain ones, including the post-woman and, I am sorry to say, my neighbour to my right, which is acutely embarrassing when he barks at her and runs the length of the fence whenever she comes out into her front garden to collect her post. Fortunately my neighbour is understanding of his behaviour and says that I am lucky to have such a protective animal.
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The Morning Walk (1785) painted by Thomas Gainsborough (1721-1788)
Recently, during one of our morning walks, a young lady who walks past our house twice daily, crept up behind us in the hope of giving us a surprise. Once she was close behind me, she called out Good Morning! whereupon Casanova/Puppy turned his head, and as he did, he jumped up on his hind legs! Sadly for the young lady, since she was very close to us, a nail from one of his paws apparently caught her on the index finger of her left hand and also, since she was wearing shorts, he also seemingly grazed her left thigh!
The young lady immediately began to scream and then yelled loudly that the dog had bitten her! By this time, I had pulled Casanova/Puppy away from her and quickly positioned myself between them. Unfortunately she continued to come towards us, which forced me to walk backwards as I tried to maintain him behind me. Eventually, she stopped advancing but continued to yell.
I held the wriggling dog by his collar while I insisted that she stop yelling since she was making the situation worse and adding to the dog’s disturbed state. Once she had controlled herself, Casanova/Puppy calmed down and I was then able to ask her where she had been bitten. She held out her left hand index finger and said there! I am afraid that I could see neither bite mark nor blood. By now she was on the verge of tears and it took me a minute or so to calm her down. She then said that he had bitten her on her left thigh, but again, I could see no blemish to the skin.
I asked her if she was going to school, where upon she answered yes. I later learned that she was in fact a student at the local college and not at the high school as I had thought. I told her to make sure that she washed her finger and thigh well with soap and water once she got to school. Following this, she nodded and then she went on her way to what I thought would be her school.
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An hour or so later I noted a van going along my street which I recognised as coming from the local branch of the ASPCA! I knew instinctively that the driver was looking for Casanova/Puppy!!! The van moved too rapidly down the street for me to catch the driver’s attention, but I knew that he would be coming back. A couple of minutes later, I was proven right and I was able to flag him down. The agent got out of the van and came into my front garden.
Casanova/Puppy immediately ran up to him, wagging his tail, and being very friendly. I confessed, on behalf of the dog, that he was the object of his visit! The agent patted Casanova/Puppy while telling me that the young lady had gone home and an adult at the house had immediately called the local Animal Shelter to report the incident. The agent continued to say that the young lady had gone to the hospital, which was less than half-a-mile away, to be checked.
I explained to the agent what had happened and how the young lady had basically crept up quietly behind us while we were out walking and that the dog had turned and jumped up in surprise following her greeting. I also said that he had not bitten the young lady, but may have scratched her with one of the nails of his front paws. I also said that the young lady had added to the unfortunate situation by her screaming.
The agent wrote down the particulars of the incident. He also noted that Casanova/Puppy had regular check-ups at a Vet and was up-to-date with all immunizations, as I proved by showing him a copy of his medical record. The agent said that Casanova/Puppy was a fine dog who was well-looked after and believed that the incident was most unfortunate. However, he added that despite his having had all the required immunizations etc etc etc …….
it was THE LAW that he remained in QUARANTINE!!!
……. just to be certain that he was not suffering from some terrible ailment and had not passed it on to the young lady!
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The most terrible aliment that we were concerned about following the incident was Rabies! Although Casanova/Puppy had been vaccinated against Rabies, the Law states that he had to be quarantined just to be sure that he was not suffering from it and so in a position to infect others.
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RABIES
Rabies is a disease caused by the Rhabdovirus, Rabies lyssavirus, a neurotropic virus, that causes inflammation of the brain in humans and other mammals.
The first symptoms of Rabies are often similar to those of influenza including general weakness, fever, or headache and can last for several days. There is often some discomfort or a prickling or itching sensation at the site of bite, progressing within days to symptoms of cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion, agitation. As the disease progresses, the person may experience delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucinations, and insomnia.
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Treatment following a bite or scratch from a rabid animal consists of a series of injections including Human Rabies Immune Globulin (RIG) and Rabies vaccine, can help prevent Rabies. The vaccine stimulates the body to produce its own antibodies against the virus and should provide protection within approximately two weeks.
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DAYS OF QUARANTINE
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Casanova/Puppy was henceforth sentenced to TWO WEEKS QUARANTINE. In view of the fact that the front and back gardens had fences to retain him within the confines of our home and so restrict his contact with others, he was not to be taken to the Animal Shelter to serve his sentence.
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Casanova/Puppy frolicking in the garden with a young friend in happier times …….
Sadly for me (and Casanova/Puppy perhaps), my frolicking days are over!
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Later that day, I visited the young lady at her home and found her with bandaged fingers and thigh. She said that she had been given antibiotics to be taken for ten days just in case Casanova/Puppy had given her an infection. The young lady was in good form and readily admitted that the incident had been her fault. Later that evening, her mother came to my house and also admitted that it had been the fault of her daughter and said that she ought not to have crept up behind the dog. She said that he was only protecting me as he thought I was in danger.
I was very grateful to the young lady and her mother for their understanding of the situation.
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I can not say that the Period of Quarantine passed quickly, since it did not. I can not say that Casanova/Puppy understood why he was not taken on daily walks or why he was not allowed to visit our neighbour, since he also did not. He looked especially sad when I had to go out and he was left alone to sit on his couch and gaze out of the window.
Peggy Lee – I’m Looking Out The Window
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Giovanni Boccaccio’s (~1313-1375) The Decameron is a famed account of the tales told by seven young women and three young men while sheltering in a secluded villa just outside Florence to escape the Black Death. This book has emerged as an important historical record of the physical, psychological, and social effects of the aggressive spread of the disease caused by the Yersina pestis bacterium which was the cause of their confinement.
Giovanni Boccaccio
Alas, unlike The Decameron (from the Greek word, Decamerone, which comes from deka, meaning ten and hēmera, meaning day), Casanova/Puppy’s fourteen (i.e. Δεκατέσσερα or Dekatéssera) days of confinement did not result in a series of tales only this meager effort!
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Our days of Quarantine were spent not in the pursuit of telling tales, but with my doing the usual things for him that I normally did, and he doing, somewhat half-heartedly, the usual things that he did ……. eating, drinking, sleeping, relieve himself and wandering around the garden! One thing that he did do repeatedly, and in addition to his normal routine, was to send endless looks to me which told me quite clearly that he wanted us to get up and go outside for a walk.
Looking toward the fence and yearning for freedom
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Queen – I wanna break free
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FREEDOM
However, like all things, the Period of Quarantine passed, and the Animal Shelter Agent returned and declared Casanova/Puppy well (as was the young lady) and that his confinement was at a end and that now he was free to go where ere we pleased!
After thanking the agent, we celebrated with a delicious sweetmeat and favourite of his (i.e. some toast with peanut butter!), and then to enjoy his freedom, we went for a walk around the block.
Naturally Casanova/Puppy was overjoyed at his new sense of freedom ……… and especially with the peanut butter on toast!
The Kinks – Days
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NUTMEG
Casanova/Puppy is sadly not alone in having a Rap Sheet and having to suffer the indignity of a Period of Quarantine. He now joins the cat, Nutmeg, in having a record and being branded a felon.
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Nutmeg was the companion cat of a friend of mine who told me her story, which I now happily share with you here.
Nutmeg
Nutmeg was a Domestic Shorthair Cat with tortoiseshell coloring. Such cats as she, are known as Torties. A domestic short-haired cat is a cat of mixed ancestry and so do not belong to any particular recognized cat breed, and who possesses a coat of short fur. Such cats should not be confused with the British Shorthair, American Shorthair or other standardised breeds with short hair names, which are recognised breeds.
Shorthair Cats
Top Left: British Shorthair; Top Right: American Shorthair;
Bottom Left: Abyssinian: Bottom Right: Suphalak
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Nutmeg was a stray and living near a farm in Wake County in the State of North Carolina in the U.S.A. When she was about 2 ½ years old, the people on the farm noticed that she had recently given birth to a new litter of kittens. Sadly, the kittens all died one by one. After this, the people on the farm took Nutmeg to the Wake County Animal Shelter in the hope that she might be adopted by some kind person (please note that only the bravest readers should follow this link!).
When my friend visited the Animal Shelter in the hope of adopting a cat, she was immediately drawn towards Nutmeg who had been given the name of Milky Way by the staff. As a result of her colouring, my friend changed her name to Nutmeg since she had a lot of rusty orange in her markings, just like the spice. Nutmeg was adopted and taken home in May 2001.
Nutmeg soon became an essential part of her new home and proved to be a very happy cat with excellent manners and a willingness to play. She loved all the usual cat toys, especially interactive toys like a fishing pole with a bird on the end of the string. She was always slim and often raced around the house at top speed.
Nutmeg had a sweet nature and acted like a mother to another cat that was adopted in June 2001. While Nutmeg was the smaller of the two cats, she was clearly the maternal one and cared for her adopted child who was a brown tabby named Torbie.
Nutmeg (left) & Torbie
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Nutmeg’s life of crime did not begin until she became ill and was rushed to the Veterinarian (Vet) for evaluation and the hope of gaining her some relief. Seemingly, she had developed Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) with a blood clot in one of her hind legs which caused her great pain. During the initial examination, when the Veterinary Technician attempted to take her vital signs, Nutmeg became increasingly agitated, presumably caused by an increase in her pain, and bit the Technician’s hand in response, a behaviour that was completely out of character for her. Fortunately, once she was stabilised, she was allowed to be taken home.
Nutmeg ……. amongst fellow alumni
The following day, my friend was stunned when a police officer came to her home and asked a series of questions about Nutmeg! It seems that those working with animals are required by law to report all animal bites that draw blood from staff and others. As a result, Nutmeg was placed put into Quarantine for a period of time. Thankfully she developed no signs or symptoms of some terrible illness and when the policeman made a follow up visit a while later to further investigate the situation, Nutmeg was alive and well and active and symptom free.
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Nutmeg, The Cat with Green Eyes
In early 2015, Nutmeg became seriously ill. It was thought that Nutmeg was suffering from either Lymphoma or Irritable Bowel Disease (IBS). but unfortunately, a definite diagnosis was never achieved.
Nutmeg was kept at the Animal Hospital for several days where the staff tried their best to help her, but it soon became apparent that nothing could be done to save her. My friend said that she visited her each day and sadly noted her constant decline. However although she was very weak, Nutmeg remained affectionate during this time.
After a long discussion with the Vet and the hospital staff, it was felt that in view of there being no hope in her recovering, that it would be in her best interest if she was euthanised so as to cause her no further pain.
On the 17th August, 2015, at the age of 15, Nutmeg passed away in the arms of her owner. It goes without saying that Nutmeg is not forgotten and continues to be missed.
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Animals hold such special places in our lives and continue to do so once they have passed. My parents once had two dogs, neither of which was with us for very long: one was killed in a road accident, and the other was stolen. Despite their short stay with us, I can honestly attest to the fact that neither dog was forgotten and each came up in conversation at least once a week until the passing of my parents.
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Happy (1995-2010), the dog in Seventh Heaven
As the minister in the television programme, Seventh Heaven, concluded at the end of a particularly sad episode ……. I don’t care what anyone says, I believe that all cats and dogs go to heaven! Me too!
The Kinks – Days
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I’m the very proud companion of Nutmeg, and she was every bit as special as Charles describes. I’m a longtime fan of Stories of London, but this tale, America’s Most Wanted, is my all-time favorite! A must-read for all animal lovers and especially those whose heart has been touched by the unconditional love of a pet. Casanova/Puppy and Nutmeg are two of the most lovable felons you’ll ever meet!
Linda:
Thank you very much for sharing your delightful tale of Nutmeg and for taking the time to write to the site. Regards. Charles