Dog Tired

First off, I must say - Walmart is evil. It is a horrible, money sucking place!

Well...Maybe it's not EVIL per say...

But every time I go there in need of one or two things - somehow I walk out with so much more. I went today for the whole dog leash and collar thing. I also got some shorts and tanks for Jadzia to use as play and sleep clothes, a couple new pairs of shoes for Jadzia and Inara, assorted toys for their Easter baskets, a couple of toys for Bluto's birthday, etc and so on. But I got Bluto a new collar which makes him spaz out a bit, a leash which he then proceeded to try and eat and a new harness for Gimli.

Now onto the "Fun" part of the day. Picture this, a woman with frazzled hair, a crying baby on her hip and two dogs with leashes wrapped around her legs. Yeah that was me today.

I got my neighbor to take Jadzia and Inara while we went to the vet otherwise the picture would have been even more insane. I'm so thankful I did because there was enough chaos without having to worry about those two! First there was the getting into the car - Gimli knows how to ride in the car but the last time Bluto rode in the car he was in a crate and a small puppy. He didn't even want to get in the car! Once I managed to get him in it and the doors all closed, he started whining and trying to jump in my lap. Um, no have you ever driven with a 53 pound dog in your lap? Neither have I and I'm not about to try! So he was jittery and whiney the whole trip to the vets' office. Then we get out and he tries to jump out before I'm ready for him to and Gimli is already making his way for the door. Soon I was dodging dogs and leashes while trying to get Anya out of her carseat. Once inside, there are, naturally strangers to Bluto - which means barking, lots and lots of barking. Here I am trying to sign them in and give them Bluto's information for his chart and Bluto is barking at the ladies and particularly frantic about the little cat walking across the desk. Meanwhile, Anya, who hasn't napped is about at her breaking point and she starts crying.

Finally we're all in and we go to the back. First off the room is TINY so I'm glad I didn't have to cram Jadzia and Inara in there with us. Anya is mercifully back in the infant carrier (which I keep in the car for just occasions where she'll need a place to go) and relatively calm. Bluto meets another new stranger and begins barking again. Gimli gets to go first and demonstrates for them his back problems

(actually a neck problem)

for the vet and the vet tech. While I hate to see him in pain, I'm glad they were able to see it instead of me having to try and explain it. It seems to come and go for him which makes it hard for me to understand exactly. The vet suspects he has a cervical disc problem and wants him back in for XRays to try and determine if that's actually the problem or not. If it is, then it will likely need surgery. They gave him his shots and were very very gentle with him. Meanwhile Bluto was still barking at everyone and every noise (particularly the dogs in the back barking), which upset Anya so I was trying to hold her and she was wailing. One of the techs asked if they wanted me to hold her for a minute so I could help with the dogs and I had to explain that that would only make her cry louder.

Bluto kept trying to get away from people when it came his turn to get on the table thus hitting Gimli a lot and setting him off. Finally they got him on the table and the vet tech starts rubbing him and he completely mellows out. I think he was in doggy love with her, she also kept bribing him with treats. He was perfectly calm through the whole exam and the barking had finally ceased. It was probably the calmest part of the visit. I had them microchip him and then we were done in the teeny tiny room. Wrangling the dogs back out into the hall with Anya was a sport in and of itself but we made it to the check out counter at long last.

I tried not to look shell shocked at the total and just paid my bill but I was at the time. Upon further reflection I realize that if I split it in half it was about the same as what I paid for just Gimli's annual visits, shots, tests, etc. So with two dogs it made sense, but it was still hard to hear at first. And I still have to go back for the xrays and possibly surgery...

(I love my dogs, I love my dogs, I love my dogs...)

By the time I got them home and returned Gimli to his doggy confinement, I thought Anya would be fried. She should have been fried since she'd been up since about 12:30PM. But, while she was very cranky she refused to sleep. I managed to even get her to play on the floor for awhile while I fed the older beasties. When bed time rolled around, I still hadn't gotten Anya to sleep even though I knew she had to be exhausted. I'm now convinced she was waiting for the other two to be in bed before she went to sleep because once THEY were asleep, she conked out.