Our dog Milo has travelled farther than many people. He flew in the cargo holds of three planes across 10,650 miles. Upon finally reaching Australia, he spent ten days in quarantine. Milo emerged from all this unscathed and the same happy-go-lucky dog as ever. And while his overseas travel and quarantine were nerve-racking, nothing was quite so scary as his first visit to an Aussie veterinarian.
Not that it started out that way.
“What breed?” the receptionist asked.
“Golden doodle,” I answered.
The receptionist smiled and covered her mouth with her hand. “And that is …?”
“A golden retriever and a poodle.”
“Oh, a groodle,” she said, typing that into his records.
When I told our pleasant young vet that Milo was a golden doodle, she smothered a laugh. I made a mental note to investigate the reason for their hilarity later.
My anxiety began when the vet started to cheerfully list all the things in Australia that kill dogs. The bite from a red-bellied black snake or brown snake would kill him (and me) instantly.
Not that it started out that way.
“What breed?” the receptionist asked.
“Golden doodle,” I answered.
The receptionist smiled and covered her mouth with her hand. “And that is …?”
“A golden retriever and a poodle.”
“Oh, a groodle,” she said, typing that into his records.
When I told our pleasant young vet that Milo was a golden doodle, she smothered a laugh. I made a mental note to investigate the reason for their hilarity later.
My anxiety began when the vet started to cheerfully list all the things in Australia that kill dogs. The bite from a red-bellied black snake or brown snake would kill him (and me) instantly.
The baby snakes are even more dangerous. As thin as a pencil and hard to spot in the scrub, a baby snake doesn’t regulate its venom. They unload it all in the first bite, making the babies deadlier than adult snakes.
Watch out for snakes, check. What else?
Watch out for snakes, check. What else?
Australian paralysis ticks are often lethal. Once it attaches to a dog (or human) to suck blood, it injects a neurotoxin that damages or destroys the cells of the central nervous system. Those tick bites can lead to paralysis and death.
And those cute, cuddly kangaroos? Don’t let Milo chase them, she advised. If cornered, they can use their powerful rear legs to disembowel a dog or crush his rib cage. And cunning? Kangaroos have been known to head into water when a dog chases them. They lure the dog in and then hold him under until he drowns.
Any good news? No rabies in Australia, she said. And the bite from a venomous red back spider or a brown recluse likely won’t kill a dog unless he stumbles on a whole nest of them. One bite will, however, kill me. Just one.
By the time the vet finished and I trudged out with Milo, who was trotting along happily at the end of his leash, I was distraught. “Milo,” I said, “we’re doomed.”
And yet, here we are, more than six months later. Me, still peering fearfully into the tall grass and around every rock pile on our morning walk, while Milo prances by my side, as happy-go-lucky as ever.
And yet, here we are, more than six months later. Me, still peering fearfully into the tall grass and around every rock pile on our morning walk, while Milo prances by my side, as happy-go-lucky as ever.
I could learn a lot from Milo's attitude about life.
Milo the wonder-dog—long may he remain just the same.
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