Well, yesterday was Shot Day for that asshole dog Jack.
I slipped him a tranquilizer about 9 AM for a 1 PM appointment because they usually keep him subdued for about 8 hours, but sometimes take an hour or two before they come on.
At noon, he was still rowdy wanting to play - so rowdy that I begin to wonder did I really dose him or did I just think I did? No matter, I didn't want to give him another one in case I did - the whole purpose was to calm his ass down, not kill him although I will admit I have fantasized about that in the past, usually when I'm bandaging myself up.
At 12:40 I loaded him up in the truck and we headed towards the outskirts of town for the fight that I knew in my heart was coming. He was excited to be going for a ride, barking and lunging at trucks, tractors and especially Jason the mailman who we passed on the way.
Great. That's all I need, for him to be good and wound up by the time we get there.
I pulled into the parking lot and his ears dropped and he turned towards me with a WTF expression on his face. He remembers the vet. Fucking wonderful.
I snapped his leash on before I opened my door (learned my lesson on that a long time ago) and told him to stay before I got out. He jumped out on his side when I opened his door, eyeballed the building and balked when I headed towards the door. No big deal, I've been through this drill before. I snatched him up and physically carried him in. Nobody else was there except for the babe working the desk and the shop cat, both of them ignored by Jack which surprised the hell out of me - I figured he'd be all over that cranky old feline.
The girl at the desk told me to put him on the scale while she pulled his records. I pointed at the scale and said "Over there" and I'll be damned if he didn't climb right up there without being told twice. He got a little nervous the way the platform was floating so I told him to sit - and he did. What the fuuu.....
75.5 pounds. Cool, his weight's holding steady, although I don't know how because he only eats maybe every 3-4 days.
Desk Babe directed us to Exam Room 1. Jack said fuck that and balked. I picked him up again and went in, telling the girl they best have some reinforcements in ready reserve in case he nuts up again like last year.
We were in there alone for a few minutes so I sat there and stroked his head, talking to him and trying to calm him down. He didn't seem to be tripping too much, but then again, he didn't last time we were there - until they came in with the syringes.
After about 5 minutes, I could hear several voices out right outside the room - they were muted by the door so I couldn't tell if they were planning strategy or having a prayer first.
No matter, it was fixin' to be showtime.
The door opened and Destinee, two other women and a big strapping farm boy came in. They must've drafted the farm boy right out of the fields especially for this seeing as he still had tobacco resin on his hands and clothes. Smart move.
The preacher's wife is noticeably absent for some reason.
Jack saw Destinee and started doing that little tail bump thing. He can't wag it because it was broken when he got hit by that UPS truck and it's permanently fused in kind of an S shape, so when he's happy it just kind of bumps up and down near his ass. He likes Destinee because she carries doggy treats in her smock pocket and she's pretty generous with them.
"Okay, after last year it says in the notes that we may need to restrain and muzzle Jack. I remember he was a handful. We'll try it without restraints first because we don't want to stress him, but do you think we need the muzzle?" she says.
"Naw, the only person he'll try to bite is me and I'm used to that shit. Do you have disinfectant and bandages ready?" I was half joking, but still cautiously eyeballing Jack who had finished his treat and wanting another.
"We do. Let's do this. See if you can't distract him."
Farm Boy puts on a pair of leather work gloves and gets into position to tackle that asshole dog Jack just in case he gets froggy while the 2 spare vet babes cower in the corner.
"Jack. Come here, partner" and I point to my lap. He looks towards Destinee hoping for another treat or maybe a reprieve, then resigns himself and comes to me laying his head in my lap, then I started giving him a deep scratch behind his ears, which he absolutely loves to have done.
Destinee seizes the moment and slides the needle in his butt. Jack doesn't flinch. What the actual fuck..... Then another, and then the last one. No reaction whatsoever.
After the last one, she asks if there's anything else he needs done. I thought about it for a minute. "How about chipping him? I know it's a bigger needle, but do you feel up to the challenge?"
She smirked and said "Oh, so after two years, you've finally decided to keep him?"
I gotta tell you, that damned dog surprised the hell out of me. I was expecting to go a few rounds with him, but other than pissing on the floor as I was paying to show his disdain for the proceedings, he was actually well behaved. And I'm pretty sure I either forgot the tranquilizer or it just didn't take effect because as soon as I got home and opened his door, he tore off across the property chasing a rabbit, then when he came back he nipped me in the ass just for grins.
