The Neutering - Yes, it does sound like a horror movie.

I've meant to tell a little funny story about Jon Stewart and his snip-snip trip for a while. He got through it just fine, unlike his life companion Stephen Colbert's spaying. (Yes, I have the gender/operation correct. Boy Name + Female dog = You're caught up.) Stephen managed to chew her stitches out on Thanksgiving day, bleed all over my MIL's carpet, and cost $1000 in emergency (holiday) vet bills.

Why is it that boy dogs take 4 days to recover and the girls take 2 weeks? Even in animal recovery the female gets the bum deal. Well, the boys don't have it so hot either.....

Anyway, Buzzkill thankfully did not have reservations about Jon getting snip-snipped. I remembered my mother having to wait until my father was on a business trip to sneak the male cat to the vet for his, ummm, procedure. I don't think my father knows even now that the cat died "gender-neutral."

Jon was dropped off early morning and picked up late afternoon. While I was checking him out, the office assistant asked me if I wanted to spend an extra $8 for pain meds for him. She misconstrued the confused look on my face as an aversion for spending extra and assured me they weren't necessary. My confused look was because I didn't know I hadn't already asked for them. My response to her was, "We SURE DO want them. It's a firm rule in our house. If your testicles get removed, you get pain medication!"

When I told Buzzkill about the above exchange, he wavered between relief that I understood the importance of limiting male genital pain and fear that there was some reason for us to keep it an official "house rule."