According to the dictionary definition, the words conehead and bonehead are words to describe a stupid person. Dora-dog takes exception to that, and so do I. For many years now, I have been using the word bonehead as a term of endearment for dogs, and as far as conehead goes, I think the photo above makes a good case for a second definition of that word.
How did Dora-dog end up in this pickle? It started a little while ago when the dewclaw on her right front paw was injured. Dora-dog is such an exuberant runner, that I am amazed it took until just recently for this injury to take place. No doubt it hurt, and she licked the affected area on a regular basis, so Mary her owner decided to take Dora-dog to the vet last week to have both front dewclaws removed. It made sense to do both at the same time, in order to prevent a similar injury to the left dewclaw in the future.
Hence, the conehead bonehead. Now instead of just looking cute, she looks both sad and cute. She is adapting to this new arrangement and her wounds are healing as time goes by. The follow-up appointment with the vet is for September 4th, so she still has about a week to go before she can go for her first run and swim.
So why the Version 2.0 in the title? Let me explain. I first met my friend, Mary almost exactly seven years ago, back in September 2012, as a result of applying for a housesit at her place, in order to take care of the dog she had back then, named Tika. On a subsequent housesit in February of 2013, Tika developed a sore on her right front paw, and as a result, ended up at the vet as well, and came home with her own conehead to deal with. Tika was a rather large Malamute, and when she wanted to eat or drink, she preferred to crouch down on the floor. This arrangement didn't work well with the cone, so I ended up having to crouch down in front of her, and hold her dish up to her mouth, so that she could eat/drink. Here is a link to the post that I wrote back then.
http://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2013/02/cone-head-dog-and-other-stuff.html
Dora-dog as Version 2.0 is much easier, as she has no problem at all eating and drinking with her cone. Yesterday, I decided to remove the cone for about an hour in order to give her the opportunity to lick various parts of her anatomy, and to allow her to feel normal for a least a little while. But in order to do this, I had to be watching her constantly, so that she wouldn't attempt to lick her wounds. For the most part she ignored her front paws, and was way more interested in attending to the hind parts of her anatomy.
So the conehead bonehead will have to put up with this arrangement for just a little while longer, and then everything in her world will be back to normal. But in the meantime, one advantage to the cone is that when Dora-dog wants to sniff something on the ground, she now has the ability to encapsulate the smell within the cone, which probably accentuates the fragrance for her.
She's looking happier by the day.
By early evening, it's time for some well deserved rest.
maximizing my moments,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
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