What a joy John Boy, the little Kooikerhondje, brings us, after bravely fighting to stay with us! He keeps an eye on the chickens, occasionally gets chased around a tree by one of them, plays with the cats, and has a particular fondness for female pilgrims. But above all, he is the biggest drama queen in all of Galicia!

When John Boy had been living with us for a few months, we suddenly noticed a large lump on his body, right behind his right front paw. Rolf immediately took him to the vet. As the dog was lifted onto the examination table, the lump burst, and pus and blood oozed out. The vet treated the wound and took an X-ray. That’s when she discovered two projectiles in John Boy’s body: one under the abscess and another in his left front paw. Apparently, the little dog had been shot with an air rifle long before he came to us. These injuries had gone unnoticed until then – even during the microchipping procedure, the vet hadn’t noticed anything.
John Boy was put under anesthesia, and the projectiles were removed. When Rolf brought him back, the little dog looked truly dramatic: wearing a cone, his chest and left paw heavily bandaged. He hobbled over to me on three legs, let the cats sniff him, and proudly showed off his bandages to the chickens. The next morning, he also displayed his wounds to the neighbors, constantly demanding our sympathy with his gaze.
A week passed, and John Boy was still walking on three legs. During the next check-up at the animal clinic, Rolf pointed out that the injured left paw still wasn’t being used. The vet examined the paw and confirmed that everything was fine – no nerves had been damaged, and he should have been able to use the paw normally again.
Two days later: I went into the garden and saw John Boy romping around with JayJay, his favorite tomcat – on all four paws! Surprised, I called out, “John Boy!” He stopped, turned his head toward me, and then came running over – on three paws, with his right front paw lifted! The little actor had simply forgotten which paw was actually injured!
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