A Dog, An Airmattress, and A Vet

Once again, I find myself outside, burning what’s left of the old fence down to ashes. There’s something oddly satisfying about watching old wood disappear—it feels symbolic at this point. Anyway, time for a quick update.

Tyson, our resident drama king, somehow managed to get a cut on his right shoulder. At first, it didn’t look too bad—just a small sore with a scab. The next morning (Friday), we checked it and discovered he had licked it so much during the night that the scab was gone and the sore had grown. Classic Tyson. He’s beautiful, loving, funny… and, unfortunately, the most accident-prone creature on the planet.

If you haven’t met Tyson, he came to us missing half an ear on his right side. This summer, he shattered a toe on his right paw after hitting something in the backyard. That one required surgery. Now we’ve added a stitched-up shoulder to his medical résumé. He’s supposed to wear a cone, but he’s far too clever for that and keeps slipping it off. Currently, he’s sporting a T-shirt and a “pup bun” to keep things covered—and to avoid peeing on it when he lifts his leg. And yes, before you ask, he’s still coming to Uruguay. We would never leave our Tyson behind.

On a related note, our house is now practically empty. Most of our furniture was taken last week—including our bed (yippy skippy). We’re currently sleeping on an air mattress on the floor, and let me tell you, I am way too old for that. It took Tyson about a week to realize he could climb onto it. It’s soft, it’s squishy, and clearly the largest bed in the house. So picture this: two adults and one greyhound sharing a queen-size air mattress (yes, feel free to enjoy the irony there). The night always starts with just Mikey and me, but at some point, Tyson climbs up, takes the middle, and slowly pushes us to the edges. Once again, I’m too old for this.

Tonight, the dogs have their final vet appointments before the big trip. They need boosters, and the vet has to complete forms for the USDA, the EU (since they’re traveling through Germany), and Uruguayan customs. I’ve never loved paperwork more. Their appointments are at 6:00 and 6:20 p.m. at Piper Animal Hospital. Once the vet finishes the USDA forms, she’ll send them off for approval. Fingers crossed we get them back before the pups fly out next Monday (yikes!). We need the originals in hand for their travel documents.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for sticking with me.

Countdown: 6 days for the pups, 8 for the humans.