Contrary to how it appears, I’m alright! This bandage on my paw is because I nicked my dewclaw. I didn’t react at all, but apparently they bleed a lot, and Mom gets a little squeamish around blood. The bleeding has stopped. But Dad says I need to stay bandaged up while it heals. But to reiterate I’m alright! So I bet you’re wondering how it happened…

Now I could tell you that I injured my dewclaw while breaking the world record for the highest jump while playing fetch. But this would not be true.

Or I could say I was injured on neighborhood patrol while protecting my neighbor’s chickens as they crossed the road. This is also not how it happened.

I could even make up a story about while hiking to the top of Mount Everest I got injured. But I haven’t left the state of Maine lately, nor scaled any big mountains.

Or I could just say I’m completing my pirate costume for Halloween with a peg leg to match my one eye. Although if this was a pirate costume, I may have gone with a different bandage than the pink flamingo one that I am wearing.

Chuck Billy said I should tell people I got injured while stage diving on Asa’s World Tour of Maine. After all that is very rock n’ roll. Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses broke his foot on stage once. And Jon Bon Jovi needed knee surgery during his 2011 tour after slipping on a wet stage in the rain. And who can forget Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters falling off the stage, then returning to finish the set with a broken leg before being taken to the hospital! So that is the story I will go with – I injured my dewclaw while stage diving on tour!

Can you keep a secret? Truth be told, the injury isn’t all that dramatic. I was on-leash, on a quick bathroom trip outside, when I misjudged the cement stoop at the backdoor, and nicked the side of my dewclaw walking into the house. I’m fine. But Mom and Dad are being overly cautious while it heals.