Newshound Ady & Flo www.sunlive.co.nz

Life has taken some dramatic turns in recent weeks, what with holidays at the beach, loads of family coming and going and lots of dogged action. This story isn't that funny, but it had me in stitches.

It all came unstuck again for me this week. Lucky that Joerg and the good folk at the Mount Vet Clinic were on hand to patch me up again.

The Mount Vet is also the mobile vet, so on occasions they make house calls to fix up ailing critters such as myself. In this case, it was an office call to The Sun, at No.1 The Strand.

This newshound had developed a nasty lump on my lip. We are not sure whether it was a tumour or a cyst or some other nasty, but Joerg said 'it has to go”.

Personally I blame the spike from a hedgehog I 'encountered” a few weeks ago. We will probably never know the cause, but let's blame the hedgehog for now, because those nasty critters are the bane of my life.

Them, and the frog that keeps croaking from my fishpond.

So Joerg kindly came to the rescue in his well-equipped animal ambulance, sedated me in the office, then carried me into the ambulance to the operating table and did the deed.

I don't remember much except waking up a bit dozy… and hearing Uncle Tony mentioning something about lunch. That kind of talk gets a girl going, especially since I'd been deprived of breakfast, pending my surgery.

The boss was looking pretty keen on a snack too, since he'd gone without sustenance for the morning, in moral support of his loyal newshound. But it was small amounts to start with, not my ideal way of snacking.

So the rest of the week has been pretty quiet for me, getting used to the stitches in my jowl and taking plenty of naps.

Thanks again to Joerg and the wonderful team at Mount Vet, who are doing a fantastic job of keeping animals well all around the western Bay of Plenty, and even coming out in the ambulance when necessary.

Next week, we'll bring you the story of the Swamp Thing, and the boss' answer to keeping marauding mutts out of the fish pond.

Till then, take care out there, deal to those pesky hedgehogs before they get to you.

Flo.