Adrian Barich: Dogs are worth their weight in gold, even when an eye-watering vet bill arrives

I know I rave on about dogs a lot in this column but really, they are amazing, aren’t they?

Our new dog Frank, who is a Cavalier French Bulldog cross (I know that sounds implausible but that’s what they reckon), is an absolute star. He’s magical. These days, I find myself racing home to take him for a walk; he loves it. You get complete reciprocation with dogs, don’t you? I don’t know if this is an age thing but as I get older, the more I admire dogs.

If I go to my local dog park and meet a few new dogs, I am in heaven. Pat a few and you can feel the stress leave your body. “Who’s a good boy” is my favourite expression and I reckon I’ve said it over 100 times to Frankie. And guess what? He loves it every time.

Even just watching dogs interact with other dogs is a joy. It’s brilliant. You may think I’m a bit basic, but aren’t the simple things in life the best?

I might sound like a loon but I’m not far off saying there’s an almost religious fervour about a human being and their dog. Maybe spirituality is a better word. And before you poo-poo the concept, just remember a dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than it loves itself.

No, it’s clear to me that dogs should be known as the ultimate “possession” (if I can put it like that): better than a Lamborghini, a yacht or whatever else we own that helps lift our self esteem.

They only have one flaw really — they don’t live long enough.

And don’t worry, I’m not one of those people who can’t stop talking about my dog (like I did with my kids). I get that the love of dogs isn’t universal (even though it should be) but just imagine this: you can say or do anything around your dog, however stupid and idiotic, and they will give you a look like, “jeepers, my owner is a genius”.

One of Perth’s best vets, Greg Wilkinson, (he also happens to be my vet) is retiring soon, so no discussion about pets is complete without talk of your local vet.

I wanted to pay homage to vets everywhere and the great work they do for animal lovers, including my family.

Our vet guided us through a couple of horrible end-of-life scenarios, plus he was always there when Jodie was panicking (not me, of course) about various illnesses our beloved pets had contracted.

The funny thing is, the more I went to the vet, the more I realised that they are often really expert guessers based on years of experience.

Because your dog can’t say what’s wrong, the vet narrows down the options and lays them out for you. Of course, that’s not always that helpful as you go to the vet for a diagnosis, but sometimes you may have to work through different treatments until something does the trick or the animal gets better on its own.

I think perhaps the vets are trying to save us having an X-ray which, for some reason, costs way more for dogs than humans. And if you have a dog that requires anaesthetising for surgery? Well, that’s when you really need to check with your bank manager.

I’m not sure why surgery and even dental work on a dog costs a fortune. Maybe it’s because there is always a chance the dog may die?

A friend of mine tells a horrible story about his dog getting hit by a bus and needing a lot of surgery. He knew it wouldn’t be cheap but he really knew it was going to be expensive when the vet hospital asked for a $10,000 deposit. Of course, many people reading this may ask, would you really spend 10k or more on a dog? To those people, I say please read the opening paragraphs of this column.

Not every visit to the vet is so dramatic, though. I don’t know if she was winding me up, but I recently met a vet in the park while walking our dogs and she recounted the story of a local resident with a dog that had suddenly started sitting down a lot during their long walks. The vet asked if the dog has recently been shaved and the lady said yes, in fact it had. Well, there’s your answer, said the vet: little Kevin is suffering from what she called “breezy bum”.

Yes, you guessed it: each gust of wind on the Chow Chow’s newly-shaved rear had him freaking out. I think we can all relate to that.

In a postscript to last week’s column, Perth Football Club’s new facility at Mineral Resources Park in Lathlain didn’t get the go-ahead from the Town of Victoria Park as we had hoped. So, we plough on.