Sunday, January 15, 2012

A Day at the Vet's

Last week, Maisy's feline brothers both had appointments scheduled with the vet for wellness exams. For a variety of reasons completely unimportant to today's story, those appointments happened during the middle of a work day. When I arrived home to pick up the kitties, Maisy danced around my feet, clearly excited by the prospect of an unexpected outing. I told her sorry, it wasn't her turn, and she looked so crushed that I simply couldn't leave her behind. I figured I could run her in the office, grab a weight, and then put her back in the car.

When we got there, the receptionist told me it was fine, Maisy was welcome to hang out in the exam room while the boys had their appointment. I took her up on this offer, figuring that if Maisy was a pain, I could run her out to the car.

But she wasn't. In fact, she was amazing. Not only did she settle down and lie there calmly while we were waiting for the vet to come in (as evidenced by this incredibly poor photo), but she also was calm and quiet during both exams.

Okay, yes, she got seriously excited when the vet first came in the room, but I just kept her on a short leash and ignored her. So did the vet, for that matter- her patients were the cats, after all. Maisy quickly realized that this was actually a rather boring trip, and laid down quietly at my feet.

I know this probably doesn't sound like much, but this is Maisy we're talking about. Although our the vets at this practice are incredibly gentle and good with fearful animals, they still do things that are uncomfortable. I'm sure Maisy remembered that. There was also barking going on outside our exam room, and I'm sure she could smell unsettling odors.

On top of that, Maisy's never been a dog to hold still. Or at least, she wasn't. Anxious dogs often seem restless; they pace or at least move around a lot. Maisy was no exception, and even at home, she used to have trouble settling down.

So the fact that she was able to just chill out in a stressful environment, with lots of chaos just on the other side of a door? Amazing. She never once barked or growled or even seemed tense about what was going on. She just... waited. Patiently. For an hour.

I think my favorite part came at the end of the visit, though. Each cat was in his own carrier, and I had one in each hand. I also had Maisy's leash in one. The receptionist asked if we needed help to the car, but I said we were fine. And we were- I walked for half a block like that, Maisy on a perfectly loose leash the entire time.

What a good girl.

8 comments:

Dizzy said...

Yay for you and Maisy! I feel bad for people who don't have reactive dogs and therefore don't understand how awesome those little, everyday victories are.

On a side note, do you go to Lake Harriet? I think I recognize that chair . . .

Crystal (Thompson) Barrera said...

Yeah, people with normal dogs really don't understand why I get so excited sometimes...

And yes, we DO go to Lake Harriet. Holy cow, what a good eye!

Dizzy said...

I have four dogs, I'm only there about once a month. ;)

Dr Jim has been so great with my shy boy, Maus.

Dizzy said...

Actually, I'm pretty sure that's the same room Rubi was in during her first trip to the vet: http://rollinwithrubi.blogspot.com/2011/04/in-which-rubi-goes-to-vet.html

andrea said...

good work you four!!

Crystal (Thompson) Barrera said...

Dr. Jim did a GREAT job with Maisy when we went in last fall to figure out why she limps sometimes. Very slow and gentle, yet incredibly thorough. I've liked all the vets I've seen there.

Unknown said...

Congrats on the vet visit! I love reading about your experiences, good and bad — they're so helpful and encouraging. Someday... maybe not in the near-near future... Indy and I will get to that point too. :D

Crystal (Thompson) Barrera said...

Rocy, you guys totally will. :)