This morning I had the privilege of waking up much sooner than anticipated due to the joys of the internet. It wasn’t due to a last minute sniper tactic on a watched eBay item or the need to Skype with unicyclists in Great Britain. No, the real reason was because my dog needs to stop scratching her left eye.
It’s a convoluted tale involving an 8 1/2 year old 65lb airedale terrier, a backyard hunting trip gone awry, eye surgery, an Elizabethan cone, and much whimpering. Couple that with money that doesn’t grow on trees flying away like leaves in a tornado and I’ve had enough. I love my dog, but I’m going to do my best to keep this from happening again.
The plan was simple: Doggles. Yes, they are a product with a clever name describing exactly their origins and purpose: dog goggles. I don’t watch a lot of infomercials and don’t spend a lot of money on the latest and greatest gizmo promising to improve my life, but these things seem like the real deal. I’ve got a dog that is recovering from an eye ulcer and will be prone to them for the rest of her life. She also has a penchant for sticking her head into bushes in the pursuit of being the end consumer of many rodentia. I’d also like to have some uninterrupted sleep.
Here’s the brief aside: airedales are fantastic dogs.*
* = If you’re insane. Not really, but they’re the equivalent of a 65lb jack russell terrier. For those not familiar with dogs, this is a measurement roughly equivalent to a Chuck E Cheese filled with youngsters – and an unlimited supply of Red Bull.
The problem Jasmine has is that the healing eye is itchy. (That, and she’s an impulsive airedale.) She may try to scratch it at any time- like before I could finish this sentence (true story). We’ve got to keep an eye on her almost constantly until it mends (see the *). This morning, at 4ish and again at 7ish she decided that her eye was itchy. I was on it. This has been going on in one form or another for over a week.
How does this all tie in to an economic observation and rant? Last week I tried to find Doggles locally. Since we unfortunately no longer have a local pet store (RIP Pet Wellness Center) I had to consult the phone book (and internet). The local grocery store sized chain pet store informed me they were an internet only item. The next closest grocery store sized chain pet store said they had them, but only ones that were rock star tinted- dark enough for a successful crossing of the Sahara or to look cool in a Harley Davidson sidecar (or maybe on one of those ridiculous 3 wheeled motor cycle thingys). Yeah, try putting a neurotic natural born killer in the dark instantly and see what happens- I’d bet it’s good for a visit to at least Med Express.
A bit more research unveiled that the Doggles I sought (with interchangeable lenses) were only available online. Figuring that interchangeable lenses- the only way to get the clear ones- will not only be stylish, but will keep me from completely depleting the supply of adhesive bandages within a 10 mile radius- I ordered a pair.
I would have gladly paid a premium if I could have bought them locally and not have to go through another 2 nights of waiting for a package to arrive from the UPS distribution center in New Stanton. Thanks to the internet I can order the merchandise, track the package, and eagerly await its arrival.
I would have gladly traded for getting a few good night’s sleep.
PS- You may think: “Dude, there’s no way you should expect to be able to buy such a specialty item locally.” Lisa informed me that the eye ulcer our dog has is commonly referred to as a Boxer Ulcer due to the frequency with which that breed experiences the problem. Doggles are used for working dogs too. The pet hospital that treated Jasmine was huge and incredibly busy when Lisa took Jasmine in for the procedure. They also have multiple pet opthamologists on staff.
The whole point is, I’d love to support local businesses and avoid shipping. Unfortunately it’s becoming increasingly difficult to walk into brick and mortar establishments to buy goods. Try to buy a David Byrne CD.
Support your local businesses.
