A dog is the only thing on earth
that loves you more than he loves himself.
[Josh Billings]

My daughter is a zoo keeper at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. The evening before Thanksgiving, we gave my grandson, Joshua, a birthday party at the zoo. What fun. Fortunately there is a jungle lab where we could be inside out of the cold for the festivities. Joshua’s ice cream cake was from Dairy Queen (they have the food concession at the zoo) and was decorated with the zoo logo, animals and Joshua’s name. I was eating the ice cream and visiting with one of the zoo educators when I heard a pop and I realized my upper dental plate had fractured down the middle—apparently from the cold of the ice cream. The good news is that the party was a rousing success.

The less-than-good news is that I later tried to glue my dental plate back together without success. On Thanksgiving, I entertained a houseful of guests without my upper dental plate. Even though my thoughts kept returning to the pressing need to find a dental lab first thing Friday morning, I did have to chuckle at the up side of the situation. I wouldn’t have to worry about gaining weight from the rich food. Then, while I was working in the kitchen, I heard a yelp. My doggy buddy, Toby, had collided with my three-year-old grandson. The grandson was fine since Toby only weighs ten pounds, but Toby came away with a limp. Even with pampering and protection, Toby’s limp did not go away. Isn’t it amazing how quickly pressing needs change? Finding a dental lab moved down the list. It has been replaced by a trip to the vet. After all, my doggy buddy loves me even without my upper teeth.

PHOTO ABOVE: Okay, I’ll admit to slipping some turkey bits under the table to my injured buddy. Here he is in a turkey trance.