For the most part, I am not a person that enjoys going to the doctor. My dog, Jake, would like for the records to show that he understands my distaste of that ritual and the anxiety that goes along with it. His annual visit to the vet is a trip he really doesn’t like.
Jake at the vet’s office
Walking into the waiting room at the vet’s office isn’t a problem for Jake. In fact, he enjoys the waiting room. He’s perfectly content to stay there to sniff at all the other dog smells that the waiting room has to offer. You don’t even have to coax him onto the scale to check his weight. He gets right on it. Once we get into the exam room, Jake’s happy-go-lucky attitude starts to slowly slide down hill.
The exam room starts off as just a smaller room for Jake to explore. Once I put him on the exam table, I see the look that he gives me. “Uh oh, I remember now. I get shots here!” At this point, he’s off the table and in my arms in full panic mode. Imagine a 15 pound dog perched on my shoulder. He can’t get any higher and he’s not about to get back down on the table. No amount of coaxing will get that done.
To make matters worse, Jake has a phobia that involves stethoscopes. That’s right. Jake is as scared of it as I am of climbing ladders. It’s about a five minute job for the vet to check his heart beat. Thank goodness that the vet is a patient guy with a sense of humor. Still holding Jake in my arms, his rabies shot and then the parvo and distemper shot was given to him.
It’s a trip that I’m glad to have gotten done and over with, at least until next year. Perhaps next year I should wear shoulder pads. A 15 pound dog on my shoulder does get a little heavy!
