Ghyll's shorter tail

Some country fairs have dog shows. Most of the time, these are shows of obedience, or of agility, or of simple breeding. But some fairs have "tail-wagging-est dog" shows, where owners compete to rile their dog up into such a frenzy of excitement that they wag their tail harder and faster than any of their dog peers.

We've long suspected that Ghyll would fare well in one of these competitions. His shot at being a contender, however, has been cut short (this pun is intended but won't make sense until the end of this paragraph) before it even began. This is because Ghyll wagged his tail so hard that he injured the tip of it—so badly, in fact, that he had to have the last 2 inches of it amputated.

Given that this occurred at the same time as he was castrated, he's taking it surprisingly well! He's still wagging his tail with abandon, much to his owners' (and his veterinarians') chagrin. We've been advised to maintain as quiet and calm an atmosphere as we can. Ghyll oscillates between self-pity and unbridled joy—he's resting more, but he's basically still the same dog. I'm grateful for that.