After reading Dr Mahaney’s Book Review-
Something’s Lost and Must Be Found: Six Short Tails of Inspiration on a Long Leash by Lisa Begin-Kruysman
Part 1 and
Part 2, I'm ready to share my veterinary perspective on the final two chapters in Part 3.
Stipend of a Sucker
At some point in your life, have you recognized that you given more than what you take regarding finances, time, or emotional investments?
In Stipend of a Sucker, the sucker of a main character remains nameless, so I will refer to her as S. With the guidance of her therapist, Dr. Althea Wolfe, S sees the light about the financial sponging she endures at the hands of the people with whom she personally associates. Subsequently, Christina, S's friend and professional dog trainer, advises S to get a rescue dog instead of further enduring her energetically draining romantic relationship.
S ends up adopting Dixie, a mature female terrier mix, from an animal shelter booth at a local street fair. In the process of adopting Dixie, S emotionally discards her mooching boyfriend by writing a check to the rescue organization for an amount greatly superseding that which the boyfriend was requesting.
I hope that Dixie’s stays in good health and does not become just another source of financial drain, as such can happen to even the best intentioned pet rescuer (see review of Begin-Kruysman's chapter,
Human Directional, in
Dr Patrick's Book Review- Something's Lost and Must Be Found Part 2).
La Casa del Feliz Perro (The House of the Happy Dog)
The final story in this collection tells of Simon, an amiable dog who’s ownership changes four times before he ultimately discovers his forever home.
Divorced and currently living without canine companionship, Mr. Thomas finds himself ready to bring another dog into his life in while vacationing in Mexico at resort called La Casa del Feliz Perro (The House of the Happy Dog). During his time there, Mr. Thomas fondly recalls Long Shot, his childhood Beagle-Bassett hound mix who tragically died after being hit by a car. Unfortunately for Long Shot, the Thomas family hadn’t take the steps of responsible pet ownership by walking Long Shot on a leash or containing him within a fenced yard. Long Shot was replaced by Shadow, a Black German Shepherd Dog puppy from the neighbor’s litter, who lived a long life and died just before Mr. Thomas returned home post-college graduation.
Feeling pines of guilt from the memories of Long Shot and Shadow, Mr Thomas ultimately encounters a new canine companion, Simon, during a home improvement project for the Langston family. Simon, a puppy mill pooch from the Palatka Pure-Bred Puppy Palace, was acquired by the Langstons at very young age and given the name Bear.
During puppyhood, many breeds of dogs appear similar, so the Langstons were under the impression that Bear was a Portuguese Water Dog (PWD, like
Bo Obama). The “strong leash and large collar” provided upon Simon’s purchase didn’t raise suspicions that Bear was really a
Bouvier de Flanders and not a PWD. As the responsibilities of pet ownership ultimately did not mesh with the Ledford’s lifestyle, Mr. Thomas eagerly overtakes Bear’s care. Bear then ungergoes a name change to Simon, which I feel better implies the thoughtful nature of the PWD.
Mr. Thomas suddenly dies and Simon finds his way to Claire Stephens house. Financial hardship motivates the Stephens family to irresponsibly abandon Simon in their yard with bowl of dollar store dry food and partial shelter. The spirit of the deceased Mr. Thomas returns to earth to liberate Simon from his backyard confines so he can seek out a lasting home.
Simon’s permanent guardian, Jill Johnston, finds him on a pet rescue site and ultimately gains both a new canine companion (Simon) and romantic partner in Mark, Simon’s foster.
Jill and Mark move to Mexico to run Mark’s newly purchased La Casa del Perro Feliz, where Simon dons a sombrero during their beachside wedding. Simon even eats real food in the form of eggs and refried beans, which are not exactly the food of choice for canine patient, but are a viable real nutrient option to support his large breed body.
In the end, Simon finds his permanent home on the fourth try, coincidentally (or is it) where his first loving owner, Mr. Thomas, was inspired to again seek canine companionship.
Thank you for reading my reviews of
Something’s Lost and Must Be Found: Six Short Tails of Inspiration on a Long Leash.
Additional book reviews on
Patrick’s Blog:
The Complete Cat’s Meow by Darelene Arden
Could Enzo From The Art of Racing in The Rain Have Lived More Comfortably As A Senior Dog
I (Heart) My Dog by the Editors of Women’s Day
Please feel free to leave your comments or communicate with me through email (
patrick@patrickmahaney.com) or Twitter (
@PatrickMahaney).
Thank you for reading my article. To receive my next veterinary posting via email, please press the “Don’t Miss a Blog Post” button on the right upper corner of this page or follow
this link.
Make sure to follow my adventures in veterinary medicine by friending
Patrick Mahaney: Veterinarian Acupuncture Pain Management for Your Pets on Facebook.
Copyright of this article (2011) is owned by
Dr. Patrick Mahaney, Veterinarian and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist. Republishing any portion of this article must first be authorized by Dr. Patrick Mahaney. Requests for republishing must be approved by Dr. Patrick Mahaney and received in written format.
After reading Dr Mahaney’s Book Review- Something’s Lost and Must Be Found: Six Short Tails of Inspiration on a Long Leash by Lisa Begin-Kruysman Part 1 and Part 2, I'm ready to share my veterinary perspective on the final two chapters in Part 3.
Stipend of a Sucker
At some point in your life, have you recognized that you given more than what you take regarding finances, time, or emotional investments?
In Stipend of a Sucker, the sucker of a main character remains nameless, so I will refer to her as S. With the guidance of her therapist, Dr. Althea Wolfe, S sees the light about the financial sponging she endures at the hands of the people with whom she personally associates. Subsequently, Christina, S's friend and professional dog trainer, advises S to get a rescue dog instead of further enduring her energetically draining romantic relationship.
S ends up adopting Dixie, a mature female terrier mix, from an animal shelter booth at a local street fair. In the process of adopting Dixie, S emotionally discards her mooching boyfriend by writing a check to the rescue organization for an amount greatly superseding that which the boyfriend was requesting.
I hope that Dixie’s stays in good health and does not become just another source of financial drain, as such can happen to even the best intentioned pet rescuer (see review of Begin-Kruysman's chapter, Human Directional, in Dr Patrick's Book Review- Something's Lost and Must Be Found Part 2).
La Casa del Feliz Perro (The House of the Happy Dog)
The final story in this collection tells of Simon, an amiable dog who’s ownership changes four times before he ultimately discovers his forever home.
Divorced and currently living without canine companionship, Mr. Thomas finds himself ready to bring another dog into his life in while vacationing in Mexico at resort called La Casa del Feliz Perro (The House of the Happy Dog). During his time there, Mr. Thomas fondly recalls Long Shot, his childhood Beagle-Bassett hound mix who tragically died after being hit by a car. Unfortunately for Long Shot, the Thomas family hadn’t take the steps of responsible pet ownership by walking Long Shot on a leash or containing him within a fenced yard. Long Shot was replaced by Shadow, a Black German Shepherd Dog puppy from the neighbor’s litter, who lived a long life and died just before Mr. Thomas returned home post-college graduation.
Feeling pines of guilt from the memories of Long Shot and Shadow, Mr Thomas ultimately encounters a new canine companion, Simon, during a home improvement project for the Langston family. Simon, a puppy mill pooch from the Palatka Pure-Bred Puppy Palace, was acquired by the Langstons at very young age and given the name Bear.
During puppyhood, many breeds of dogs appear similar, so the Langstons were under the impression that Bear was a Portuguese Water Dog (PWD, like Bo Obama). The “strong leash and large collar” provided upon Simon’s purchase didn’t raise suspicions that Bear was really a Bouvier de Flanders and not a PWD. As the responsibilities of pet ownership ultimately did not mesh with the Ledford’s lifestyle, Mr. Thomas eagerly overtakes Bear’s care. Bear then ungergoes a name change to Simon, which I feel better implies the thoughtful nature of the PWD.
Mr. Thomas suddenly dies and Simon finds his way to Claire Stephens house. Financial hardship motivates the Stephens family to irresponsibly abandon Simon in their yard with bowl of dollar store dry food and partial shelter. The spirit of the deceased Mr. Thomas returns to earth to liberate Simon from his backyard confines so he can seek out a lasting home.
Simon’s permanent guardian, Jill Johnston, finds him on a pet rescue site and ultimately gains both a new canine companion (Simon) and romantic partner in Mark, Simon’s foster.
Jill and Mark move to Mexico to run Mark’s newly purchased La Casa del Perro Feliz, where Simon dons a sombrero during their beachside wedding. Simon even eats real food in the form of eggs and refried beans, which are not exactly the food of choice for canine patient, but are a viable real nutrient option to support his large breed body.
In the end, Simon finds his permanent home on the fourth try, coincidentally (or is it) where his first loving owner, Mr. Thomas, was inspired to again seek canine companionship.
Thank you for reading my reviews of Something’s Lost and Must Be Found: Six Short Tails of Inspiration on a Long Leash.
Additional book reviews on Patrick’s Blog:
The Complete Cat’s Meow by Darelene Arden
Could Enzo From The Art of Racing in The Rain Have Lived More Comfortably As A Senior Dog
I (Heart) My Dog by the Editors of Women’s Day
Please feel free to leave your comments or communicate with me through email (patrick@patrickmahaney.com) or Twitter (@PatrickMahaney).
Thank you for reading my article. To receive my next veterinary posting via email, please press the “Don’t Miss a Blog Post” button on the right upper corner of this page or follow this link.
Make sure to follow my adventures in veterinary medicine by friending Patrick Mahaney: Veterinarian Acupuncture Pain Management for Your Pets on Facebook.
Copyright of this article (2011) is owned by Dr. Patrick Mahaney, Veterinarian and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist. Republishing any portion of this article must first be authorized by Dr. Patrick Mahaney. Requests for republishing must be approved by Dr. Patrick Mahaney and received in written format.