A dog's life includes trip to the vet

Recently I brought my 7-year-old shih tzu granddog Polo to the veterinarian because of an ear infection. He has also been there for eye infections. The maladies and cost are comparable to those of us humans. It was an eye-opening experience.
I sat next to a lady who had a dachshund on her lap. He was shivering and shaking and Polo was on the floor doing the same. They were probably anticipating a shot. I can't tell the age of a dog by looking. She said, her dog was 14 years old. I said, that guy is older than me. In terms of human years, he would be a 98-year-old man. Nearby, was a beautiful samoyed, who was 11 years old. He had a heart problem, but looked good. Another lady walked by with two samoyed pups, one under each arm.
During my one and one-half hour visit, I counted about 15 dogs and 3 cats. It's a dog and cat world. Polo was still shaking and shivering as the vet examined him. He had a bacterial ear infection, which required antibiotics and ear drops. Total cost was $81.
Cat earned his keep
This brought back memories of my Great Depression days. We always owned a stray "no cost" cat, who paid for his keep, by catching the mice. We don't even have a mouse trap. Our neighbors had "no cost" mongrel dogs, never saw a pure bred pedigree type.
We only owned one dog, which my father bought for $10. A lot of money in the early 1930s. But this was an investment, since he was a beagle, a trained hunting dog. He also paid his way, since Rex was responsible for putting rabbit meat on our table.
Pets have been part of my life in another way. I've been an amateur photographer for most of the past 60 years, and many of the awards I've won have been for pictures of cats and dogs.
Michael J. LaCivita is a Youngstown retiree. A collection of his columns, "Rag Man, Rag Man" has been published by Pig Iron Press.