Doggie bling and a doggie ding

Dear Dr. Forsythe: Last week my daughters decided to trim the hair on our dog. By the time they were done, he had a reverse mohawk, a very strange color of nail polish and sunglasses on. They also dressed him up real good. They did all this and they are only at the age of 10.
I told them if they are old enough for all the designer clothes and shoes and purses we give them, why couldn’t they learn to appreciate a pet? Their father was so upset he didn’t even know what to say.
Ever since it happened Sheldon (the dog) seems sort of off, ya know? He acts all mopey, like people do get when they’re just not on their game?  I mean I look at him and his shaved pink ears and little skinny shaved rat tail and pink stripe down the middle and think, what did they do to this little pet?
It was funny right when they showed him to us, but I feel dumb since I was just down the hallway in my home office while the girls did that to him.   So should we keep him or get rid of him?  And if you tell us to get rid of him, how could we ever find a home for a dog with a mohawk and purple nail polish? – D.S. Smith, Beverly Hills/Kenwood

Dear D.S.:  It is really impossible for me to tell you if you should or should NOT get rid of your pet.  Do you give me the impression that you take good care and show love and respect for your family dog?  Not so much.  Do I think it is ok to simply cut off a pet’s ear hair and shave a little dog’s back and tail until it looks mutilated to the point where it wouldn’t even be adoptable?  Not really.  Was it okay back when I was six years old and my older sister, Vallarie, gave me a haircut with pinking shears and my bangs were zig-zag? HECK NO.  But I somehow survived.  And Sheldon will too.
I think what matters is less the “what” and more the “why.”  I’d need to observe how the girls were with Sheldon and whether they were cruel with him and making fun of him and mocking him or loving him, being sweet during this time and doting over him or not.
If Sheldon was the butt of their behavior, and their being “princess” kids who have a mean streak that they take out on the family pet, that dog needs to be given away. In a situation like this, if there is mean spiritedness I would also take away one important piece of the girls Juicy Couture wardrobe and have them donate it to the local animal shelter for a future fundraiser to help drive home the point that pets are valuable and need to be treated with  respect since they obviously never got that memo.
At a tender young age, this is a good time to begin teaching young children the importance of generosity. However, if the girls laughed and giggled as they painted his nails, hugged him and then shaved him with love, presented him to their dad as “the other cool dude in the family”
I would not have punished them.  I would have piled them ALL in the family station wagon and taken them to Sears for a family portrait together.  Who wouldn’t want an 8×10 of THAT?  Good luck with your decision and let me know what you do. – Dr. F

Dear Dr. Forsythe:  Two months ago we had an electrician come out to replace a light in our family room. It was a big light with a fan and many attached lights that came off it.  About an hour after he left, the whole thing came sailing down and landed on our dog, Dottie.  Thank goodness it just missed her but it could have killed her.
Well about three weeks after that she started limping one morning and bleeding something horrible.  The vet took out about a one-inch sliver of blue glass from inside of her main foot pad the same exact frosted color as the fan glass the worker had replaced previously.  Dr. Forsythe, I know you can understand what with people’s tight budgets and the recession and all, I am plenty mad and don’t mind writing in.
Well the electrician DID come back to fix his first mistake, but the veterinary had to fix the paw and that cost $400 plus going back in several times. Do you think I should call the electrician?  – Sign me, Should I or shouldn’t I call?

Dear Should I?:  I learned years ago that blame never helps anyone or makes anything better.  When you have your finger pointed at someone, remember there are three other fingers on that same hand pointing back at you. But as far as whether I think you should call your electrician? You bet your sweet bippy you should.
You should call him a ninny, a dweeb and a bubble-headed booby.  And just WHERE should you call him this?  Around the dinner table to your family, but not on the phone with him, because that would most likely just cause a conflict.  And not with the veterinary office, since they were also helping your Dottie.  And surely not with whomever swept up after the glass broke in the den, since they also did their best.  Oh, and one more thing: please don’t call me Shirley. – Dr. F