Deep in the Missouri woods on a muggy, hot summer eve, a story of betrayal, pain and frustration began. The couple and their two dogs began a walk in the humid air and bright sunshine - one that thankfully led to a creek. The dogs plopped into the stream, just after the wife removed the electronic collar used to control the puppy. Soon after, they headed back to their campsite, ready to sit in the shade. The creek was too shallow for the humans to cool down. Before they came out of the woods to the gravel road, they whistled to the dogs. The elder border collie stopped his sniffing and happily bounded out of the brush. But the younger dog was nowhere to be seen. “Damn it,” yelled the husband. “We can’t let him go anywhere without that shock and sound collar on.” For months, they had been training him to walk off leash by using the collar which has a sound button that brought him to their side. But recently they had to replace the collar (still under warranty), and were told it was not waterproof. So whenever they thought he might get it wet, they removed it to preserve its longevity. It took close to an hour for the dog’s betrayal to be complete - yet he returned panting heavily, covered in vines and “beggar’s lice” - those sticky plant spores that hitchhike on clothing and fur. He was scolded and exiled about 25 yards from the campers, tied to a pole and left a pan of water. After their anger subsided (a hair), the couple began to remove the plants and assess the dog’s health. While he drank some water, he continued to steadily pant in the heat - twice as much as the elder dog. When he was finally allowed back in the camper, he was still panting heavily. And as the night wore on, he began acting erratically- jumping from one seat to the floor, hiding under a bench, and shaking his body. This went on through the evening, making for a restless night for all. At 3:30 in the morning, the wife covered an allergy pill with peanut butter, offering it to the distressed pup. She draped a wet blanket over him trying to cool him down and noticed the border collie slept peacefully without heavy panting. |
With 550 miles left to travel in the first leg of a long trip, they debated the idea of moving on or staying put for a day while the itch and pain calmed down. The husband had previous experience with bad bouts of poison ivy as he is allergic to it; the wife “never gets it.” Although it was over a decade old, they had a bottle of Rusto lotion, purchased from the Washington Homeopathic Society; it has about a tablespoon left.. Sparingly, the husband dipped a Q-tip into the bottle and applied it to sores,, encouraging his wife to abstain from scratching. He knew it would work, but also knew that for the next 72 hours, more bumps could break out. He knew that the more you move around, the more your clothes can irritate the sores, making you uncomfortable. He also knew the benefits of cold water, air conditioning, and stillness and on the one hand thought staying put was the answer. On the other hand, heading further east (before it became too uncomfortable), and getting into salt water beckoned. So they packed the laundry, wiped remaining surfacesthat might still contain the poisonous oil and moved on with the AC blaring, barefooted and wearing loose clothing. |