the saddest puppy there ever was

disclaimer: if you don't want to read a sob story about my dog, move along. but seriously, check out that picture - have you seen a sadder puppy?

today we had to take my darling girl to the vet for surgery on her ear. at first this seemed no big deal, but was i ever mistaken. she has an ear hematoma, a pretty common problem where blood vessels rupture and the ear balloons up with blood. so in max goes, to have it drained and 'quilted' back together. not a big deal, right?

wrong! while they're doing the surgery, the vet had a look inside her mouth and discovered a broken tooth. might as well remove that, too! and why not give her all her shots for the year? annual rectal exam? throw it all in! clip those nails, scrub those teeth - the whole nine yards in one go.

so poor miss max wakes up to a cone around her head, a missing tooth, a sutured ear, and several sore spots inside and out. when i met her coming home from the doctor she was stumbling around, still half-under the drugs. she can't quite manage the cone and keeps tripping over it. after she fell down the stairs three times, i had to carry her upstairs. ultimate tragic sadness!

i finally understand why parents at the doctor's office cry when their kids get shots. i've never seen a sadder puppy and i'm so heart-broken for her. max's favorite things are to (1) stick her head through the railing of the stairs and bark at people, and to (2) lick the dishes in the dishwasher. neither can be done with a cone on!! it's heartbreaking people, and halloween is going to be brutal. so many small children to bark at.