Daybreak

The sun rises over Kachemak Bay from behind the Kenai Mountains.

I took this from the top of Baycrest Hill on my way home from the veterinary clinic this morning, after I dropped off Wilson--now known as "Max"--for dental work.

Poor Max. When he came to us in October, a circular wound was healing on his head, just above his left eye. I since have gotten the sense from him that he doesn't see as well from his left eye, and he tends to sit holding his left leg up, although he lets us palpatate it and apparently doesn't have pain there. But we can tell that something bad happened to him and it involved his left side. So we weren't surprised to discover his lower left canine tooth was broken off just above the gum line.

The vet tech was grim-faced when she told me that teeth don't usually leave nice round holes--it was probably some-thing man-made that left Max with a round scar. So, the popular theory is that he was shot in the head with a pellet- or small-caliber gun and probably left for dead. It would go some toward explaining some much of his fear and insecurity. Our boy Max has had to live with considerable pain in his life.



Then he found his way to our door.

The broken tooth has been extracted and now he can start to heal.