Yesterday I heard back from the doggie dermatologist at our Vet office.  Yes, she has seen some blue and tan dachshunds with some alopecia, (hair loss) but not a lot, and no more than usual.  Heck...even old Sis has a little place under her collar, on her throat, where she has no fur and life wouldn't be worth living without that old gal.  Is there a screening test for puppies to see if they'll end up doing "the hairless hot dog"?  Noooo.  Essentially, you pay your money and take your chances...roll those dice, baby.  Sure you can ask a breeder and look at their adult dogs, but that's no guarantee of anything.  That little old hair loss gene can be lurking back generations, just waiting for you.  Could you get a great dog with out it?  Yeah.  It's just a matter of how lucky are you feelin' ??

That said, I don't even have a serious contender yet to make a decision even necessary, so we'll just see what shakes out.  And speaking of shake up, did you see on the Internet where another Catholic priest, bishop, whatever, has stepped down at the age of sixty, after admitting he is the father of two teenage kids, who live with their mom in another state.  Frankly, that's not really that big of a deal to me.  In fact, it sounds down right human.  Admittedly, I am not Roman Catholic and while I respect their beliefs, I'm wondering if that centuries old celibacy rule has created more of a problem than it's really worth.  I personally cannot imagine being counseled by a RC priest or even the Pope, on a marital issue, when neither of them has ever been married.  That's sort of like me telling you what walking on the moon is like, and I've never done it.  I just don't get that.  Hells bells....there's just a lot I don't get.

Lastly, I've decided that even though I no longer work as a nurse, I'm damn glad I am one.  Last night I had a little personal issue come up and because of my chosen profession, I was able to diagnose and treat myself--or at least use my knowledge to get myself comfortable.  I had a pretty good idea I knew what was likely going on, and could talk myself out of calling my doctor at midnight, since I could predict what she would tell me to do.  Rarely am I my own patient but it is sort of handy to know something.  This morning I called and did what she asked me to, and had already done what I really needed to.  Sooo, yee haw on that. My education finally pays off for me.