Of Mice and Greyhounds

So Saturday we took the puppies (yes, we still call them that at ages 5 & 6) to the vet. They needed to be caught up on their shots so we can board them while we are up (down) in SLC. Pretty much all the boarding places around town are booked up boarding-wise for the 4th, plus the fact that we need 3 kennels doesn't help matters. So we found this local Vet that got raving reviews from everyone that sees him. The only downsides were that the place was a little run down, and there are no appointments, you just show up when you need to be seen. The upside is that you'll get seen as long as you show up, the downside is that it might take a while.

So we show up a half hour early like everyone recommends, and there is a already a line out front. No biggie, there aren't too many people. We chill in the car, let the dogs out for some air and wait for the place to open. Once it does, we grab the dogs and head to the waiting room. Bad idea. This waiting room is teeny and packed full of pets and people, us and our 3 crazy (crazy meaning Noodle) greyhounds don't help matters. We try to get our names on the waiting list while keeping the dogs under control and someone steps on Dottie's foot and starts yelping like mad! Everyone's giving us the stink eye, so we make like tre's and get outta there...We decided, wisely, that Shauna would stay in the car with the girls, and me and Dexter (the calmest of the 3) would wait in the waiting room. We go back in and everyone asks questions about Greyhounds, and how fast they run, and 'do they run faster than cheetah's, cause I heard they are the fastest animal in the world.' Thankfully a chair opens up so we take a seat, and Dexter starts shedding like mad cause he's nervous and gets spooked easily. Plus, there is no AC in this tiny room full of humans and their sick animals and it's the one day that Seattle isn't raining, it's like 100 degrees. That John Denver was full of crap!

I'll give a quick run down of the different animals in the room. A sick beagle mix drooling like a leaky faucet who would start baying at everyone and everything, poor guy. A german shepherd, chow chow mix (only half a blue tongue). A cute pug puppy. A very angry cat that I believe would have ripped us all to shreds had he not been safely confined in his Hannibal the Cannibal restraints. The noises this cat made was unbelievable! Two kitties in a box that kept hissing at Dexter. An older sick miniature schnauzer whose owner was nice enough not to mind that Dexter farted or that he kept stepping on her toes and pushing against them. Countless other dogs and owners who couldn't stay in the waiting room cause there was no more room, but they put their names on the list nonetheless. Did I mention this Vet also has some great rates, that are like 35% less than what others normally charge?

Needless to say, it was finally our turn to go in after two hours of waiting, and one by one we brought the puppies in for their shots and checkups. Everyones doing great except for a few minor things. The doctor didn't think Dexter's farts were a major thing, but then again, he doesn't have the joy of experiencing them on the day to day basis that we do. They were all pretty well behaved except for Noodle who started bucking like a wild bronco the minute she got out of the truck. Next time we'll be making appointments during the week when it's a little bit less crazy, and hopefully the line won't be the same length as the one to get U2 tix.

J