I screwed up.

Spent the entire morning in the living room, either reading diaries or doing my monthly reports.

And keeping tabs on the masked heeler. She was cone-less. As in first thing this morning, the wife and I took off the cone around her neck that keeps her from chewing on her stitches.

And she was good girl. Lots of foot licking and getting the old blood off her tail and legs, but not one lick near the stitches. And then she went to sleep.

As in a deep sleep, complete with snoring. She isn't getting much rest at night with that thing on her neck.

So I went downstairs to get work done on the computer. And checked on her every half-hour.

12:30 - fine, still sleeping.

13:00 - fine, still sleeping

13:20 - looking back at me with a guilty "oops" look.

Yep, she's gnawed out a bunch of stitches. A little more than an inch of her butt was wide open to the universe.

Lots of curse words, and a quick call to the vet. And a quick trip to the vet. Where she yipped and barked as I left her there to wait for a vet to back to town.

If you're curious, Hazel is still there. Running a fever, so she didn't get to go home yesterday as planned. JoJo is still there, too, and lost the front leg. She was delighted to have someone say hello, and managed a really cheerful series of tail wags, but she hasn't figured how to get up with only one front leg yet.

The cowboy's blue heeler, Dido? No serious injuries. She should be home now. Talkative girl.

The funny part about the whole thing?

When I got home, the little maskless heeler was extremely submissive and friendly. Thought at first she and her mother must have gotten into something they shouldn't.

But, no.

Near as I can figure, she has heard that old saying: "Two go out, and only one comes back." And wanted to make sure she wasn't in for the same trip.

She was quite relieved when youngest son and I brought her masked sister home after office hours. With some shiny new staples in her sacred butt.

The maskless heeler spent most of the evening sleeping beside her sister. Being quite careful about the back end.

The cone does not come off anymore. She'll just have to learn to eat, drink and sleep with it on.

Gotta go now...another night on the living room floor for me.