Homer goes to the Vet!!!

Note to self. When scheduling pups for the kennel you want during spring break, schedule early!! This is the lesson we learned when we tried schedule Homer for time at 4Paws Unleashed. This is pretty much a daycare facility for pets. They do walks, they have play times with other animals, there is grooming and treats and toys and pools and slides. Its like puppy dog heaven. This place sounds better than our vacation. If you thought this place could not get one-upped, you thought wrong. You need to check out, Avondale Pet Resort. Guests get their own themed room, with beds and heated floors and one-on-one times with trainers, and ultra posh spas and grooming and physical therapy and laser surgery. Paris Hilton's rat dog would feel remorse staying at this place. In fact, we would probably need to refinance our house if we wanted to send Mervin here... Either way, we were not able to get either dog into these kennels. Instead we settled for tried and true Altoona Vet. This is like the Hampton Inn of Kennels, clean, good service, but no frills...

Later this week, Homer got to go to Creature Comforts Vet for his checkup. Over course Homer was frantic with all the excitement of a different place and other dogs in the waiting room and the fact that its a hospital. I would be nervous too. They escorted us into an examination room. Homer spent our 10 min wait sniffing out the place and hiding under our chairs. When the doctor came in, not even beefy treats could get him out. He was not coming out, so we had to use some gentle persuation. Homer was good for the doctor though. He sat still for his exmination and his 4 shots. Then the doc and nurse took him in back to cut his nails. We could pretty much hear everything. There was a lot of whine, but mostly from the staff. Apparently Homer's old collar still smelled of skunk and BO and death. But, both Homer and the staff made it through with flying colors. The procnosis: Homer is completely healthy. He has lost 7lbs since his last check-up and the doc said he could stand to loose 5 more. Wish Mervin could have such good check-ups.

After the Vet visit, we hopped over to PetSmart and picked up a new ISU collar for Homies. This one smelled a million times better. Plus this new one is bright and clean and really stands out against Homer's dark fur. Homer also got a new rabies tag to go with his name tag. He looks very sophisticated if I do say so myself. Ellen fitted Homer with his new collar and then it was off to the Brown Dog Bakery for some freshly baked dog treats. This place is like the Old Country Buffet of dog treats. They 48ft of bone chewing selections and full of fresh out of the oven dog pastries. We got Homies a large bone and Mervy pants a little one. The pictures to the left and right of Mervin and Homer each indulging in their bones. I am not sure the shudder speed on our camera was quick enough to capture Mervin breathing in his bone. It was gone in under a couple nanoseconds. Homer on the other hand, savoired every bite. All in all, Saturday was a good day for the pups.

Since is was so nice out, Homer and I went for a stroll. Had I known there were going to be so many little kids and teenagers by the lake, I would not have gone there. But we pressed on anyway. Homer was completely freaked 90% of the time. About every 15 secs, someone walked by Homer was having nothing of it. He was particularly frightened of the 3-5yr old children on bicycles. One child walking/running behind us, thought it would be a great idea to annoy Homer and I. The little punk thought it would be awesome to run right up to Homer and I then stop, wait 15 sec, repeat. And every time the kid would run up, Homer would lurch forward trying to get away from the boy. This went for the first quarter of the trip. The last time he did it, I shot him a nasty look that would bore through steel. And that pretty much ended it. Homer and I completed our walk.

On a final note, I captured a good pic of Homies and Mervies cuddling on Homer's bed. They have been doing this sporadically for the past month or two. Mervin has little man's inferiority complex and insists on being the big spoon.

B-dubs out!!