Little Drummer Dog

I found out yesterday that I've been approved for another apartment. So now I will be packing and sorting (along w/ school and work). I will be leaving the last place I lived with Jake. It's been 10 months and I still miss him. I remember the first time I went to Petsmart to buy food just for Lars, about a week later, and the poor cashier asked how many dogs I had. I couldn't answer. But it may be time to admit that I have just one dog, and his name is Lars. I have one dog named Lars. I have a dog.... sigh.

So here he is. Once I've figured out more of this technical stuff, and get more batteries for the digital camera there will be more pictures in the album in the previous link. His story is this: I was working at the vet, and this woman brought in this 6 month old puppy (claimed he was pure Chihuahua, but we knew better) because he was vomiting etc. The doctor felt his stomach and took x-rays and found that he had coins in his stomach. She tried to get him to vomit them up throughout the day, but determined that surgery was going to be necessary the next day. The woman couldn't afford any of his care, not even the x-rays. She signed him over so we could find him a home, and I agreed to adopt him. He did end up vomiting the coins over the night. Turns out there was a quarter, a dime, a nickel and several pennies. It was the pennies that were harmful: they were so pitted that it was obvious a lot of the zinc was in his system. After blood transfusions and chelation medicine (special ordered and picked up from a human pharmacy) he finally pulled through. He needed a new name though, and one of the lab guys stated that since he had all that metal in his system and therefore being heavy metal and all, he should be named after Metallica. So I chose Lars Ulrich (the drummer, of course) and Jason Newsted (yummy!). The lab guy said I couldn't put those names together but I said he was my dog now, and so yes I could. So his name is Lars Jason. He's a Chihuahua mixed with something, maybe terrier. He can destroy toys designed for "powerful chewers" that are much bigger than he is. He actually likes to wear the hoodie I knitted for him. There are no dog clothes on the Metallica site, although even if there were, I'm sure the guys in the band do not want to know there is a Chihuahua named for them.

He's been healthy ever since, though we have been going through a rough patch lately. It's been decided that he may all of a sudden have become allergic to something in his regular treats so he's been deprived of treats for a couple of months now. I found a great website, bbbonz.com, which is all organic and vegan treats. They have cat stuff too. Lars' Yule wish, though he may not know it, is their three month supply of treats. I will be submitting him for their taste testing squad also. It's a great site.