So - I was humiliated beyond all comprehension....and here's what happened:
Niko gets really nervous/excited/anxious when going anywhere new. Perhaps it is due to the fact that she doesn't travel very often. Walking her on a leash is really her walking me. Getting her in and out of a car is really letting her enter and exit first - and she will knock you over if you try to do anything different. But, she is beautiful :)
Before the exam:
We walked into the vet's office and it took every muscle I had to keep her under control. All she wanted to do was sniff everything and everyone. Of course, she is a pretty lab so everyone thought she was beautiful. Picture this, her big fat body pulling me in every direction while I am trying to get her paperwork and my license out of my purse. She almost pulled me to the floor a few times! Now, most of the people in the office were excusing her and telling her she was pretty, but I was so embarrassed!!! When 2 golden retrievers were sitting in the waiting room, she went nuts! I even had a pet owner come up to me and recommend the "gentle leader" which is kinda like a muzzle but not really. So humiliated!!!
During the exam:
By time we got into the examination room, I was exhausted. Thankfully the "nurse" or "tech" closed the doors and let me sit down. Whew!!! We talked about Niko - who is...um...overweight. I tease that she is my 100-pound dog but really I thought she weighed around 85-90 pounds. Nope. 99. Yes, that is right, 99 pounds. You all realize that means that there is less than a 30 pound difference between her weight and mine. AND, she is CLEARLY stronger than I am. No wonder I struggle to hang on!!! So, now I have to limit her dog food, no more people food, limit the treats, and give her carrots to snack on instead of pancakes :( It sucks to diet. Poor thing.
The vet was wonderful. She took her time with Niko and answered all of my questions. Sue, the tech is the office's behavioral specialist and gave me some better ideas on how to better leash train Niko. She suggested the gentle leader as well as attending Adult Obediance classes - which I think I am going to do. If you are going to have a dog, you should do it right, right? However, it is QUITE expensive.
Thankfully, I didn't have to watch her get her shots. In Holland I had to. I don't like it...at all. But, they took her back to another room to do all that stuff.
When she was done, she came out wearing a hankerchief that said she had been heart worm tested. It was kinda like the stickers you get when you donate blood...too cute.
After the Exam:
If I was embarrassed before the exam, that was NOTHING compared to after the exam. Apparently all her shots did not calm her down. There were 2 guys in the waiting room. When they saw Niko, they gasped. Really? She is a lab, not a bear. One guy kept making comments about how big she was. Perhaps it was because I was wearing flats and looked really short. She also wanted nothing to do with sitting still. She wanted to run. It is really hard to sign documents when you are using all your muscles to hold a dog. Plus, they had to print a bunch of documents for me, so I couldn't exactly just sign and go.
At one point, one of the guys said "You know you can chain her to the counter, right?"
The guy stuck on her size commented back, "No way, that dog would break the counter!"
SERIOUSLY people! She is a LAB!
Then, the most horrific thing happened. Two guys brought in their dog...in a cat carrier nonetheless...
Let's put it this way, this dog wasn't even the size of one of Niko's paws...that small...and excited. The guys put the dog down and the little dog got really excited to come say hi to Niko. Now, Niko loves big and small dogs alike....hmmmm.... However, she must have thought this dog was either a rat or a squirrel or some other animal. Niko got really low, her hair stuck straight up and she let out an extremely horrifying big girl bark.
Sigh.
Immediately the 2 guys picked up their little doggie. I was mortified!!! I of course yelled out her name - which only made her bark again. Double sigh.
Finally, I got all my paperwork and left. She MUST attend obedience classes...
Here is everything she had done, poor girl:
- Complete physical
- Distemper shot
- Leptospirosis shot
- Bordatella shot
- Rabies shot
- Fecal exam - gross
- Canine Junior Wellness Profile (whatever that is)
- Heartworm test
When we got home, she was completely exhausted and passed out at my feet. I didn't feel so bad about leaving for the Dane Cook concert - knowing she needed to rest.
I Sazzle because I am trying to be the best Mommy I can.
Steph I understand! Tucker is 100 pounds and STRONG!!! As I was reading this story I was thinking, I need to suggest a gentle leader to her. I have one for tucker and I can not give them enough praise!!! Anyone who is a "big dog" owner is going to recognize that it is a leader and not a muzzle. What it does is put a piece of nylon over the top of their nose and then the leash connects under their mouth. When they pull it makes their head go down. Dogs naturally pull against the pressure, so if it is a normal leash to collar setup they are pulling into the pressure at their neck, but with the gentle leader the pressure is on the top of their nose and bingo bango THEY DO NOT PULL. No lie. Took T-dog on a walk today and there is slack to the leash the whole time-no pulling. Just try it and if you don't like it return it. I had Tucker walking with slack in the leash in 10 minutes of training. Let me know how it goes. You will feel like you have a different dog when you are out a about!
ReplyDeleteOh my Steph! I completely understand trying to sign in and all that stuff while your dog is naturally curious about her new surroundings. When I took Sage to the doctor he was a big baby and wanted to hide behind my legs. I'm glad she is up to date on her shots and loving being at home..she truly looks happy and content. I might have to try that gentle leader too...sounds awesome and then maybe I wouldn't be so nervous about taking him to Hocking Hills.
ReplyDeleteWow Stephanie 99 pounds, she has put on a few pounds. That gentle leader sounds like a good plan to try (may even try it on Max). I don't think she needs obedience school. Just work with her on the leash, she isn't a bad dog. The vet's was just somewhere new and they are always curious about other dogs.
ReplyDeleteAww, I'm so glad she's finally Home!
ReplyDeleteSounds like the vet did a great job; when you said 5 shots I was thinking they might have given her some unnecessary stuff but DHLPP, bord, and rabies are all necessary. I'm impressed that they did bloodwork on her (Junior Wellness Profile). Even dogs who are perfectly trained forget their training at the vet's office. People with cats and small dogs need to keep them in their hands. The guys making comments about how big she is just aren't used to big dogs (people say all kinds of weird things like that when they don't know about something; they're always saying our clinic cat is HUGE and he's perfectly normal-sized) Just exercise her and cut back on her food.
ReplyDelete