We call her money pit...

This is a year ago...look closely and on her left ear you see the small beginnings of what would become something of it's own entity:

This may make somebody queasy...just to warn you weak stomach ones.

Bailey aka "the money pit" has had yet another surgery to correct her ever failing body. I love this dog more than a lot of people I have met in my life, and think she is worth every penny of course. Stan has just learned to go along with things because he is no fool. Plus the kids and I are so enamored with this four legged creature that I think the thought of what would happen if he didn't agree to help the poor girl out sends him over the edge. Hence, the surgery that was the fourth major one to date took place.

It all started last year about this time. Bailey couldn't breath, she was diagnosed with cancer, had a lump removed from her throat. A few weeks later, a bump appeared on her ear. It grew to the size of a ping pong ball, then a golf ball, then something larger than a golf ball, but not quite a baseball. This extra little appendage was not cancerous, was not harmful. We had a great time entertaining ourselves with it. Calling it various names, saying it was her "little friend", the puppy she never had etc. We even grew very accustomed to emptying the thing of its contents when need be. The contents were liquid, add a little cottage cheese. What would of grossed most people out, became a ritual for us that no longer bothered me or any of us really. Nicolas would say "cyst juice comin up!" when we got the needle out. We would bet on how far the stream of juice would shoot across the yard when the needle first went in. That is unbelievable to write that, yet, we did it and it was just part of the routine. Part of owning a "high maintenance" dog we would say.

Well the fun and games came to a halt when one morning we awoke to the thing being larger than ever. The size of a giant baked potato. It had become its own zip code overnight. It was horrible. It was causing problems now....circulation, eye and balance to name a few. Plus, it had the chance now of opening on its own, in my house, on my floors. It had to go.

Oregon State University has a teaching hospital for the Veterinarian students that saved us over a grand to have it done there. So, we drove the two hours there and two hours back home three times. The last time with our yellow pet wearing a lampshade, with forty stitches, and looking a little worse than I have seen her look before. They shaved her fur from the back of her neck all the way down to right between her eyes. If I didn't know any better I would arrest me for having a pit bull fighting ring going on. She looks rough. But she got to keep her ear, and now her head doesn't hang to one side constantly.

There will be no more needles, no more name calling, no more entertaining the neighbors with distance contests. It is gone, this life form that came in and taught us that when you love someone, you will do anything for them. Even empty a giant cyst of cottage cheesy liquidity stuff.

The lampshade and shaved skin. Looking like she just got out of a rough battle: Some stitches, but still an ear!
This is pre-surgery...if you look close at her left ear, you get a small glimpse at the weapon of mass destruction...the sebaceous cyst.

She is home and resting now. In two weeks the stitches and lampshade will only be a distant memory!