Why is my Poodle Wearing a Blue Turtleneck?

Answer: We've tried everything else (gauze collar -- with and without tape, a tee shirt, and a striped sock on her hind leg to prevent her nails from scratching) to prevent Maggie from taking apart her stitches from Monday's surgery. The turtleneck works the best, but she's subdued (maybe mortified) when wearing it, and acts terribly depressed, so we removed it briefly. "Briefly" is all it took.

In a matter of minutes, the staple put in on Thursday to repair one ripped out stitch was gone, and her wound was opened and ugly. We packed her up and headed to the after-hours emergency vet. What a weird place! The front door is locked; they photocopy the "responsible party's" driver's license (to be sure your check is good?) and write the animal's name in BIG letters on the door of the cubicle. During that visit, I figured out that God in God's wisdom knew that having two high maintenance dogs would do us in completely, so I am grateful all over again that Steve decided to keep Uri in his family.

If any of you see a white standard poodle in a turtleneck and a striped Halloween sock (since Maggie and John will make a very quick appearance on the block midweek), please oh please don't laugh out loud! (Or don't let her see you laugh. Some dogs are unusually sensitive, you know.)