After the Rain

After the Rain

Harriet went to the vet today, for her rabies shot and an exam. They took blood and urine, to rule our any issues before starting her on PPA. Hopefully the results of the blood work will be in on Monday, and I can pick up a prescription then. Leaky old dog is LEAKY, and we are both getting tired of it. Other than that, she is in really good condition, especially considering her age and breed. Boxers just don’t tend to live this long, so we’re very lucky.

Also, if you are sitting in the vet’s waiting room with your dog, please don’t repeatedly yell, “SIT! SIT! SIT!” at her. If she doesn’t know the command, then raising your voice is like yelling at someone who doesn’t speak English. It’s unhelpful and rude. If she does know the command, then repeating it is ineffective and will undermine her training. Worse, smacking her for not obeying will out you as an abusive asshole. It might also freak out the other dogs in the room who are behaving themselves.

I swear, I hate people sometimes. I had to turn Harriet around and stuff dog food in her face to calm her down after that. And really, the other dog wasn’t even behaving badly. She was clearly stressed out, but she was just standing there and minding her own business. There was no need to micro-manage her and make her feel more insecure. In that sort of situation, your dog is looking to you for cues on how to behave. If you’re telling her that there’s something to be afraid of, she’ll believe you. And if you are the thing she’s being told to fear, then you are also betraying her trust.