When I have a few minutes to check my phone in between appointments, I try to catch up with emails and messages from friends and family. I will occasionally get random questions from friends about their pet’s health or something they noticed that may be out of the ordinary. By far my favorite question received (thus far) is the following from my friend Mindy earlier this month: “How long does it take for a squirrel to decompose?” Believe it or not, Mindy, but we did not learn that piece of knowledge in vet school! I texted her back for context, assuming that this question was in some way related to her dog, Jagger, a six-year-old mixed breed dog who has a penchant for getting into trouble. I recall last year while on vacation in Puerto Rico checking my phone before going to sleep and seeing a text about Jagger and a reaction to a medication. Elsewhere, he had managed to pull down a cracked car door window and run into the grocery store looking for Mindy…twice! He has escaped her careful watch on a number of hikes, always finding his way back home miles away. But this time it was about a poor squirrel who fell victim to his immense prey drive, the second of a storied career at menacing the small creatures of Colorado.
I cannot help but laugh at this incredibly beautiful, too-smart-for-his-own good dog! Though COVID has largely prevented us from meeting in person, it is so nice to get virtual glimpses of Jagger and the other pets who make my friends’ lives all the better — even if they sometimes drive their owners crazy!
