Despite the fact that I felt really good about the breeder we bought Jack from, I knew we would need to establish a vet, and possibly a groomer. I have had a vet of course in the past, but believe it or not have never taken a dog to a groomer in my life, so I asked Cori lots of questions about what she does for Hobie. Since their vet is a little far away, I looked online and after checking out reviews (Cori’s suggestion) chose Animal House Veterinary Clinic. It was close and reasonably priced and I thought it was a good place to start. Jack is still doing great in the car, so off he and I went. When we arrived a huge German Shepard was coming out, so we waited until he was in his truck before going in. The staff greeted me right away and after weighing Jack (11.5 pounds), they put us into a room, which I was glad for.
The Vet clinic looks smaller outside than inside
the waiting room was nice
And the exam rooms were really clean
Jack was super happy having no idea what he was in for.
I went in for a doctor’s check and a rabies shot but when we arrived they really wanted to do a fecal check to check for diseases common from breeders and I went ahead and let them do it. They basically used a large Q-Tip up inside to get some material and Jack REALLY did not like that. One of the nurses was also a little brusque, but I was probably being too sensitive. This was our first time at the vet and I was a little nervous because you just never know until you do an independent check. Turns out the fecal check was totally clear and the Vet came in and talked to me. While we were talking he examined Jack and said he looked perfectly healthy and then very deftly gave him his rabies shot. He did it so well Jack didn’t even whimper, which was really nice after the other exam. After the shot we started talking about my options for heart worms, and fleas and ticks and this was where the conversation got very interesting.
I told the receptionist that we traveled, and the doctor totally got that. Most vets require a checkup every six months but since we will be in Oregon, we knew that wasn’t possible. I really grasped how he started helping me find a solution and he told me that he worked with an online company to ship medicines. Since Jack was on file with him, he was happy to fill prescriptions for heart worm and flea/tick chewables for a full year until we would be back in the area. I was thrilled to find a solution and later Cori and Greg were interested in it as well. It just isn’t practical for us to see a vet twice a year, and this seems like the perfect solution. If we have an unexpected issue of course we will find a vet in Oregon, but this way we can get everything we need online. We needed to come back for a rabies shot anyway, because the puppy version is only good for one year. Overall, I felt great about my choice and hoped our groomer experience went just as well.
A few days later we had the groomer and since that was a longer drive I was really happy that the Auto Dog Mug I ordered had come in. Cori and Greg had found one of these at a trade show and I thought the concept was absolutely brilliant. Basically instead of carrying a small bowl and water, this plastic cup has the bowl on top. All you do is squeeze it for the water to come into the bowl and the dogs can drink. When you release the water goes back into the bottom and can’t spill. Best idea I have seen in a really long time and at $12.99 the price was super reasonable. Jack liked it right away, which was another plus, and I used it on the way to the groomer.
Like the vet, I found Happy Tails by Lisa online. She has been grooming dogs since the 1970’s and at $45 was reasonably priced. She also had an opening (one person I called was booked until January) and I liked the small business feel. Yes, I could have chosen one of the large doggie spas or pet stores, but I would prefer local groomers for both the personal service and price. As I said earlier, I have never in my life been to a groomer so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Lisa did a great job of reassuring me. She took Jack in at 9am and told me she would call 20 minutes before he was done. It was supposed to be between 1pm -1:30pm, which surprised me a little but I said OK and off I went. Oh and by the way I am aware how these costs are adding up, so we will be adding a new Pet category to the budget for July and we will see what our annual expenses turn out to be.
I’ll be honest I was a little nervous. Not because of Lisa; she was very nice and competent, but I hated leaving him alone. It was good for both of us though because when she called at 12:10, she said he was initially skittish but had done great. When I went to pick him up I couldn’t get him to stay still long enough to get a picture, but I could see how much more brown he had in his fur than I thought. Lisa also said he is still part puppy fur and part adult fur so it will change over time, which is good because I am not 100% sure I am crazy about the look. It’s a bit to fru fru for me! Aunt Cori loved it though and she was our first stop when we got back. Eventually I got him to settle down enough to take some pictures and the shorter hair is growing on me, although I think I will like something a bit shaggier, which has the side benefit of keeping costs down. Some people groom every 8 weeks, but that would cost more than I spend on my own hair, which I will have a hard time justifying unless there is a need.
And the end result
His head looks too big for his body now 🙂
Lots of brown
Jack’s in the bottom of the pic and Hobie is at the top. You can see how much more brown Jack has.
He’s a fluff ball. The whispy white stuff on the legs is baby fur.
After his haircut Jack got lots of attention and as he was running around I was glad he seemed no worse for the wear for the trip to the groomers. I am completely aware by the way, that I am being a bit obsessive here about my dog, but I promise to calm down soon. He’s just so darn cute!
Jack loves his belly runs from Aunt Cori.
And you can see Lee is completely won over at this point
Oh and by the way, I got a hair makeover too. Kelly came to visit and was kind enough to dye my hair back to it’s original color. I like it much better dark.
After the groomers we all had plans to go and see the matinee of Bohemian Rhapsody. I love Queen, and think Freddy Mercury was the best rock star singer of our (or maybe any) generation, so I was super excited to see it. We chose the Alamo Drafthouse which was fun because several of us had never been here. The movie theater is cool because they serve food and drinks and have a strict no noise policy. You are warned once and then ejected from the theater for talking, texting etc which Lee and I both loved. The prices were decent and they had a nice selection of choices and the waiter we had was really great. Plus you can get ice water which I really liked. It was a lot of fun and I really loved the movie. They even played Queen You Tube clips and old concert footage prior to the show, which was so preferable to tons of ads. Actually there were no ads at all which was awesome!
They serve drinks at the table too
For $8 we got an unlimited bowl of popcorn we could share. It was really good, but I think I ate too much of it.
During the movie, Jack stayed at home in his cage and did just fine. Ultimately I would like for him to be comfortable staying in the truck for short periods (weather permitting of course), but it’s still too soon for that.
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