We took Peaches and Beau together to their yearly vet exams Saturday.  This was Beau's first checkup since I adopted him.  He was also due for his rabies booster.  I have never before had a dog that enjoys going to the veterinarian and even goes right up to the vet to make friends. He went right up to the doc and greeted her in his happy-go-lucky way. He did the same thing for her that he did when I first saw him in the Stockton shelter.  He lay right down on the floor and seemed completely content as long as someone was paying attention to him.  He would have just lain there the whole time she was examining him.  The trick was to get him to stand up so she could palpate his abdomen.  He never complained about anything done to him, not even when they expressed his anal glands, which were quite full, I was told.  A two-glover.  I guess we'll be doing that more regularly from now on at home, since they charged $35 to do it there.  It's a rather stinky, unpleasant task, though, so maybe it's worth it.  

Peaches, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck the whole time.  The instant she realized we were not at the park but the vet's office, she tried every way she could to drag me in the opposite direction.  Then when we got inside, she did the shiver-shakes and tried to hide in the corner of the examining room.  I had to drag her out from under the bench for her exam.  Not even yummy treats worked.  

This time I had my husband go along so we could take both dogs and it wouldn't be such an ordeal for me alone.  I thought having Beau along would calm Peaches, plus he gets upset if she's not around.  Taking them both at once worked out well, except for the cost, over $500 for just routine stuff, and that's with a senior discount.  At least we shot two bassets (hypodermically speaking) with one trip to the vet instead of two separate trips.  The good news is they are both in good health but need to drop a few pounds.  We've put them on diet dog food.  I don't think they like it, but who does like dieting?