I had the occasion to take six-month-old Rosie to the vet; you can see how stressed she was!
Situations like this are where you can really see the benefits of the novel stimulus training pay off. Rosie and I were at the clinic for two hours. The techs took her to the back to draw blood, get a fecal sample, do a thorough exam, and who knows what else. The whole vet hospital fell in love with Rosie on this day as she flirted with everyone, including by offering her fool-proof manding behavior.
As we waited in the lobby, Rosie led me all over the place while she checked out the magazines, the fish tank, and of course, all the other interesting animals in the room. There was even a pug sort of dog to look at; she thought that one was particularly interesting. She never barked or became startled or worried; she wagged her tail at all of them. She even stepped up onto the scale for me like she’d done it every day of her life.
The photo above was taken by a woman who was waiting in the lobby with me with her aged Pomeranian. The dog was blind, so he was uneasy about Rosie’s presence in the room and barked at her repeatedly. Rosie only had eyes for his owner. She would slowly slink from me and oh so gently place her head under the woman’s hand while keeping her distance from the Pom. I love this photo and thank her for her generosity in taking it and sending it to me.
A visit to the vet does not have to be harrowing, for the dog or the owner!