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| This kind of morning in the desert today |
Dr. K, the Heelers and I took a longish hike west of Tortugas Mountain this morning, and the weather was cool and cloudy throughout. The humidity was up a tad, though, making it feel warmer than it was. We saw a few other outdoor enthusiasts, but didn't run into anyone on the trail.
This afternoon I took Mr. Frio to see Dr. Amber Thompson at the Arroyo Veterinary Clinic, and, not surprisingly, Frio behaved exactly like I thought he might: barking and even lunging at a few people. I brought a pocketful of treats along to try distracting him from the new intimidating experience, and they worked OK for a while. On a positive note he didn't act aggressively toward the other dogs we encountered, actually showing an interest in meeting them. Their owners were understandably doubtful about encouraging any interaction.
Things improved noticeably when we were called into the examination room by the vet tech Amanda, who exerted a calming influence on Frio; in fact, he never barked at her. Our efforts to take Frio's temperature--she manning the thermometer, me embracing the Heeler--failed miserably, though. He's so powerful he managed twice to squirm out of our grasp. She had to take him into the rear area to get a temperature and draw blood for a heartworm test. When she came back with Mr. Frio he was definitely calmer; she gave me three or four cookies and said, "We found the right cookie and sat with him until he calmed down."
He barked a few times when Dr. Thompson entered the room, but she slid down to sit at his level, gave him a now-favorite cookie and proceeded to exam his teeth, his heart, lungs and his stomach, pronouncing him in good health. He was heartworm negative, and the Willow stool we collected this morning to bring in for analysis showed she was worm free. After the examination I talked for a while with Dr. Thompson, who said she was thrilled Dr. K and I decided to adopt two dogs. Having canine companions was the best thing for all involved.
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| Looking at the distant Organ Mountains |
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| Frio, Willow, Dr. K |
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| Frosty the Mutant Barrel Cactus |
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| Heelers or Pointers? |
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| On the road heading west |
1 comment:
The first photo that you posted really shows the beautiful light and clouds. Sounds like you and Frio had a fun time at the vet. When I took Willow last week, she was a perfect angel.
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