Spike and Gigi Go to the Vet!
Written by The QOE
May 16, 2017
When you come in with a large dog, and it’s hard to tell who’s dragging who, our Vet office assistants stuff you and your gentle pet into a small side room. This is likely to prevent scaring the other customers, though it could also be a containment tactic, in case your dog suddenly rips the leash from your grasp and makes a run for it.
Anyway, that was the calm part of our day.
At 11:00 am, Spike had an appointment for his annual physical. Spike isn’t super enthusiastic about getting in the car, not so much because he hates going to the vet, but rather because he truly loathes going to the groomer (which happens more frequently) and at the beginning of the process, he is not sure which abhorrent destination is actually going to crop up.
So, at 10:25 am, Spike has braced his buns on the pavement and will not get in the car. He is dressed for battle in a harness (because he can slip a collar faster than Houdini) and a heavy-duty leash. Two adults accompany him, because it takes at least two adults to get him anywhere he does not wish to go. Also these adults are both older than dirt and not as sure-footed as they once were. Not by half.
At 10:26 am, Gigi sees her pack more-or-less attempting to get in the car. Not wanting to be left behind, Gigi gets in the car. The adults are now struggling to get her out, while still trying to get Spike in.
It’s not that Gigi couldn’t have gone…..well, yes, it is actually. There was no leash on board for her, they had never had both dogs in the car at once, and the odds of controlling both successfully, once at the Vet’s were dubious at best.
Finally, after several rounds of front-seat-back-seat and a lot of panting and yelling, Spike hops in, thinking that Gigi is going, just as someone stuffs Gigi outside the car. The doors slam and off they go with Gigi’s look of horrified disappointment shrinking in the rearview mirror. Spike is completely disgusted and starts to drool. Copiously.
So, they get to the Vet…..you already know that part. The part you don’t yet know is that the adult who hauls Spike into the waiting room is not as sensitive to non-verbal clues as he might be. Consequently, the look of fright on the one human seated there is completely ignored while Spike, a large wolf-like creature, hovers an inch from her knee. Moments later, they are ushered into “the room.”
After the requisite shot, Spike is treated to a thorough pat-down from the pretty female Vet (that wasn’t so bad) and learns that his pre-Gigi 95 pounds is now a svelte 87.5, thanks to six months of galloping after or in front of his new buddy.
Home they go…..more drool.
At 2:00 pm, the adults are putting Gigi in the car. They think. Shouldn’t this be easy? This morning she hopped in voluntarily.
No, it is not easy. Slightly smaller buns are now plastered firmly to the pavement. More coaxing, yelling, heavy breathing on all sides. Meanwhile, Spike takes it all in and hops in the car.
Is this really happening?
The male adult finally picks Gigi up and stuffs her into the front seat. The other adult just manages to grab her tail before it’s caught in the car door. Spike’s broad smile is filling the rearview mirror from the back seat…until his master rudely rips him out of the car and shuts the door, then races to the other side, just barely ahead of Spike, and crams himself into the car, slamming the door. And, off they go…..obviously late!
Less than half a mile later, the adults realize they’ve forgotten Gigi’s papers from the pound. Back they go. False hope for both Spike and Gigi.
Finally, they arrive again at the Vet’s. Same side room.
Gigi tries to make friends with a picture of a dog on a poster. For some reason, he is not responding. She whines for ten straight minutes. Lady Vet finally enters and declares her in good shape, all 59 pounds of her. While Spike was slimming down, she was gaining. But, that’s because she’s a young, still-growing girl.
All is well….and home they go, Gigi drooling all the way.
Spike and Gigi, reunited, have a mad gallop through the woods. The adults take a nap……drooling slightly.