As I type, Savannah is sound asleep in a corner of the breakfast room... totally exhausted, poor puppy. I called the vet this afternoon to make an appointment for a thorough check-up and the second booster-shots that puppies get before they're a year old. I also wanted to ask about having her spayed in 4 or 5 weeks when she is six months old. The vet's office wasn't too busy today, so they told me I could just bring her in today.
Savannah behaved very well the day we took her home in my husband's car.... we put a blanket on the back seat for her, and I sat there with her during the ride home. My car, however, is a sports car with two seats.... would Savannah even fit in the passenger seat?
Before I brought her outside, I got two of her blankets and put one on the seat and one on the floor of the passenger side. I clipped on her leash, told her we were going "Out!" (a word she already knows) and after a short visit to the grass, off to my car we went. As soon as Savannah got within two feet of my car, she stopped in her tracks, sat down, and turned to stone. She weighs 36 pounds.... there was no way for me to pick her up and get her into that car against her will.
So out came the secret weapon from my purse... Savannah's favorite toy--- the little blue monkey that my husband bought for her. I put that monkey up to her nose, gave it a squeak, and then tossed it on the seat of my car. It was a Kodak moment... into the car she jumped... and I made sure her tail was tucked away from the door before I closed it... and off we went.
Savannah stayed on the seat for the 20-minute ride to the vet.... she looked out the window, watching the cows, the cars, the blinking lights at the intersections along the highway. When we got to the parking lot by the vet's office, she was more than happy to just jump out of the car without being coaxed. However..... Savannah turned to stone again as soon as I opened the door of the vet's office.... something about the medicinal smells that are in and around every vet's office... seems that all dogs behave that same way (except for the very small ones who can be just carried in).
I got her into the office, though, simply by not taking her "NO!" as the final word. (Plus, I had left the blue monkey in the car.) She was very good with both the doctor and his assistant... they checked her ears and teeth, gave her the booster shot, clipped her nails, checked her heartbeat and her bones, and pronounced her as one fine puppy who will be "pert near 80 pounds" when full grown.
We left the office with heart-worm medication, flea and tick meds, and an appointment for next month's spaying. (I didn't tell Savannah about that part yet.)
Happy, happy day... what a good dog we have.
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