Spay Day

This morning started very early... I had set the alarm for 5:30 so I would have time to get dressed, have some fruit and yogurt for breakfast, take care of the cats, walk Savannah at the first hint of daylight, and then leave the house at 7:00 so we could be at the vet's office at 7:30.                        

I had fixed up the front passenger seat of my car last night-- a thick leopard blanket on the leather seat, and a soft and plush pink afghan on the floor. Both blankets have Savannah's scent on them because I used those in the car for her first vet visit, and now they're the official puppy blankets for the car, no matter which car we take.

Savannah balked a little bit when she realized I wanted her to get into my car this morning, and it wasn't until that moment that I realized I had forgotten her blue monkey toy. The last time in the car, I tossed her monkey into the car and she jumped in after it. I didn't want to go back into the house to get that monkey this morning so I just picked up her two front paws and put them in the car and she followed with the rest of her.

Off to the vet we went, and I could already see how much she's grown since her first ride in my car. When she sits on the floor of my two-seater Thunderbird, she can see right out the window on the passenger side. Savannah watched the cars and school buses going by this morning for a little while, then curled up on the floor for the rest of the drive into town.

Instead of turning herself into stone at the door of the vet's office this morning, Savannah walked right into that door just as she's been doing at home. She sat down very nicely in front of the counter while I signed the papers for the spaying (and also micro-chipping) and she didn't seem at all anxious until the attendant put a 'house lead' on her and gave me her leash and collar to take home. As he started walking her towards the back, that's when she turned herself into solid cement and wouldn't move. She looked back at me with the saddest puppy eyes I've ever seen.  I got in front of Savannah and smiled big and told her to come to me, and she did, but then I had to back away when she reached the door going out of the reception area. Off she went and I stood there holding her collar and leash and also holding back tears.

It was so early in the morning that I came straight back home and did some chores around the house, then got dressed all over again to 'really' go out, and back to town I went for grocery shopping and other errands, with the intent of getting it all done while Savannah was out of the house, driving back home to put everything away, and then driving into town again to pick her up.  After four weeks of having a dog-sized puppy in this house, the quiet was enough to deafen me as I walked into the kitchen. Sweet Pea came out of the TV room and did his tip-toe-in-slow-motion routine through the breakfast room and the kitchen that he has adopted since we brought Savannah home. Not finding the puppy anywhere, Sweet Pea settled himself in front of Savannah's water bowl and took his time drinking and drinking and drinking. (And not a drop of water was on the floor afterwards.)

With today's mail came a note and a newspaper clipping from my friend Janice in Clear Lake. The 'Houston Chronicle' had a small article (in the Business section, of all places) about fashions for canines... "Haute Hounds Flaunt Noses For Fashion."  In one of the photographs, a dog is wearing what looks like the most comfortable of sweatshirts, complete with what looks like either a hood or a wide collar, and the 'sleeves' of the doggie-sweatshirt even have those double-ply cuffs that sweatshirts usually have.  Janice's note said "I see Savannah in the casual look. Remember, winter is coming!"  I laughed so hard at the idea of Savannah wearing a sweatshirt (in pink, of course, to match her velvet leash) that I called Janice to tell her that I just read the article and I intended to search for that hooded sweatshirt for Savannah. I forgot to ask Janice if Savannah should wear pearls with that hoodie, but I guess adding such an accessory would take most of the 'casual' out of the outfit.

The girl at the vet's office said I could pick up Savannah after 3:30 this afternoon and I was there promptly at 3:28.  They told me that Savannah did very well during her stay, didn't bark or carry on, and let everyone do what they needed to do before and after her procedure.  (Translation: she acted like a Lady Puppy, not a Hobo Puppy.)  I settled up the bill, asked how much Savannah weighed this time (41 pounds) and then gave the girl Savannah's own collar and leash to avoid having to do an exchange of leashes in the reception room like we did when we got there this morning.

When the girl came out into the lobby with Savannah, I could see a little bit of unsteadiness on that puppy's feet, poor thing. She was very quiet, very calm, not even tucking her tail way underneath her belly the way she did on her first visit to that office. Savannah's eyes were scanning the room and when she saw me, her tail wagged a bit and her serious puppy face turned into something like a grin, and she walked right over to me and sat down and leaned against my leg.  I could have just cried for that moment of Savannah knowing who she belonged to and the cuteness of that slightly sleepy grin on her puppy face.

As soon as I got Savannah out into the fresh air, she stopped on the wood decking of the building to get her bearings and I think also she liked the feel of the breeze that was out there in the shade of that porch this afternoon. I let her stand there a few minutes while I petted her and told her what a truly special puppy she was and how proud I was that she behaved herself today.  When I walked her into the grass to get to my car, I purposely took the long way around the lawn so Savannah would have a chance to 'use the grass' if she needed to. And she did just that, and I was happy for that moment as well because I really didn't want any sort of mishap in the car during the drive home.

And once again, when I opened the passenger side of my car to let Savannah in, I realized that I had forgotten the blue monkey! Again! I had taken that monkey out of her toy box and put it near my purse... how in the world could I have overlooked that?!  Solution to that problem: from now on, I will leave one of the 'extra' monkeys in my car at all times so it will be in there and ready to be Savannah's traveling companion. You've heard of 'security blankets'?  Well, Savannah has a security monkey!

I had to lift Savannah's front legs onto the floor of my car, and then she propelled the rest of her forty-one-pound puppy self in there... and off we went towards home. Savannah curled up right away on the floor, didn't even bother looking out of the window. All the way home -- a 25-minute drive --Savannah just stared at me. I thought of that commercial where a person takes their second and third fingers and first points to their own eyes, and then points to another person, giving that silent phrase "I'm watching you..."   That's how the drive home felt to me... as if Savannah had pointed her paw at me and silently said "I'm watching you, Momma, I'm watching you."  For most of the ride home, I kept talking to Savannah, saying her name over and over again, telling her the house was too quiet without her, and telling her how happy I was that spay day was over and within a couple of weeks she probably wouldn't remember much of today at all.

Savannah got herself slowly out of the car when we got to the driveway... I can see that the stitches underneath her may be tender and she's being very careful when she walks. The girl at the vet's office said Savannah needs to be a "couch potato" for the next two weeks. I laughed at that and said "Don't you mean a couch puppy?"  The girl laughed, and I just know she'll be using that line in the future.

We got into the kitchen and Savannah stood there and looked all around the room, then walked into the breakfast room and laid down next to her big bed... she put her head on the soft edges of that bed and the biggest sigh came out of this puppy.  My eye caught the blue monkey--- right on the little chair by the door where I had left it... so I brought the monkey to Savannah and put in on the floor next to her.  I went to put away my keys and my purse and when I came back into the room, Savannah was fast asleep with one paw on top of that little monkey that truly needs a good washing.

She will probably sleep for a while now, but I will have to wake her up before it gets dark so I can take her outside in the grass. I doubt very much if she'll want to eat anything tonight, but if I hear her tummy growling with hunger, I will give her a little bit of Sweet Pea's Fancy Feast instead of the crunchy puppy kibble. It's been a long tough day for Savannah... she deserves a little extra treat, and if she needs to be hand-fed tonight, then so be it. That's what puppy-mommas are for.

And I need a good cup of tea. I am so glad this day is over and Savannah is fine. I love this puppy. I truly do.