He wears the Cone of Shame

Kelso had a big day yesterday.  I did too, but in a long-term perspective, his was bigger.

After I dropped the girls off at school, I took him to the vet for his vaccinations, dew claw removal, and neutering.  It is sad to turn this happy tail wagging little guy over to the vet and walk away, knowing that a rare kind of horror awaits him...

I had a very busy day planned as my folks were driving down to celebrate my birthday, which is on Saturday.  I squoze in a morning of volunteering at the school in Thing 1's class until 11:30, then came home and started working on my Christmas cards.  My folks showed up around 12:30.  Their original plan was to take me to lunch, but my mother always has other things on her agenda - like buying buttons for a couple of sweaters she knitted, and buying fabric so she could make some Christmas Pajamas for my girls.  (she's a fabulous seamstress).
We figured that between then and 3:00 when it would be time to pick Thing 2 from school (Thing 1 has an after school class on Thursdays and gets out an hour later) there wasn't time to do all that and go to lunch too.

About then I mentioned that I hadn't renewed my drivers license, which was up this year.  My mother looked shocked and said you have to do it before your birthday.  I thought I had until the end of the month.  We looked on line, looked at the letter, and finally figured that though the information was somewhat unclear, better safe than sorry.  I'd hate to have to take the test or something just because I waited three extra days.
The big problem was I couldn't do it today, Friday, as all the offices are closed.

So we ate lunch from what I had in the fridge and then Mom and I drove over to get my license renewed.  Miraculously, that only took about twenty minutes.  We raced through our other errands, had my dad pick up Thing 2 from school, and got home in time for me to run over and get Thing 1.
I usually walk over with the dog.  She had forgotten about his big day, and when she remembered she broke into tears.  She cried off and on the rest of the evening and lamented about how much she loves him and how much she misses him... my folks took us to Chuck-a-rama for dinner (not my first choice, or probably my 2nd, but with the kids in tow it's so much the easiest place to eat) and Thing 1 spent the dinner hour lamenting and worrying and tearing up.
We ran to pick Kelso up after dinner.  Thing 1 was wringing her hands, drying her eyes...  They put us in a patient room and gave me the post-op instructions.  Then they brought him in.

Thing 1 and 2 took one look at him and just busted up laughing.  He was a little stunned from the medication and everything, whimpering a little... and there they are just barely able to stand from laughing so hard.  So much for sympathy.

Notice the "workout sweatbands" as my sister called them.  My sister says when her dog was neutered he only wore the cone a couple days.  Kelso gets his for two full weeks.  Mostly it's to keep him off the dew claws.
Today he's doing great, and was bouncing around this morning like there was no problem in the world.  The girls were discussing that it is a little embarrassing to walk him to school with him in the cone.
He is such a pretty dog, and he carries himself so nobly...  it is such a contrast to see him wearing this goofy cone head thing.
His walking buddy, the bull mastiff named Winston, goes in for the snip today.  He's only getting the neuter job, not the dew claws as well.  Chances are he'll be out of his cone in a couple of days, while our baby Kelso will be sporting this thing until Christmas Eve.  Just in time for the Christmas photos.  Phew!