Bubba is now an artist after our paw painting session at my mom's house with her two Scotties, Laddie and Duffy. I got the idea from the Painting for Paws fundraiser at Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary. I taped some watercolor paper together and put it down on the patio, then we dipped the dogs' paws in tempura paint. Each paw was a different color: red, blue, green and yellow. They weren't very cooperative so we had to put them on the paper and kind of move them around. The paintings turned out very well and will be a nice keepsake in years to come. I may have to rename Bubba Blue or Ol' Yeller since his paws were still stained blue and yellow the next day. We also made some rather interesting and colorful patterns on the patio and on the linoleum in the family room when we left the screen door ajar and all the dogs traipsed inside.

Bubba had his visit to the vet for his rabies booster. He had lost two pounds, weighing in at 62 pounds, which is okay since he needs to stay svelte. A vet tech took him into the back room to administer the shot. I dislike the increasing reliance of veterinary clinics on vet techs for procedures that were previously done by a licensed veterinarian. I'm sure there are many good vet techs, but I've seen some very inept and unprofessional ones in my experience who could not even take my dog's temperature without hurting her. I also dislike the policy at many clinics of not letting owners stay with their dogs during routine procedures, or any procedure. When you take your child to the doctor, the doctor doesn't take the child off into another room to do an exam. The parent is present. I prefer to stay with my fur child and, as PETA recommends, I will insist on doing so in the future, particularly for something as simple as a booster shot.