Zeke and Blaze both got their physical exams. As evidenced in one of my earlier rants against the military medical system, I tire of constantly changing physicians. Either we move or the doctor does. The military assigns us physicians and we may see them once before we are assigned another. So, we met another doctor. This was Zeke’s preschool physical and his siblings had warned him that he would get shots. He received a vaccination in each thigh and had to have his finger pricked for a lead level test. When the tears subsided, he told me, “I don’t like to get poked.” Blaze’s exam was a bit easier since he didn’t have any vaccinations due. He just had an overall health check and exam for worms. The breeder recommended a vet who has a walk in clinic, no appointments. You sign in, wait your turn, and go see the vet when your name is called. It was a very low budget operation. One old vet, one understudy, and two receptionists. The building was old and small and worn out, but the vet is good at what she does and you can’t beat the prices. Sitting in the waiting room with us were a Pitbull, a Cockapoo, a hyper dog, a German Shepherd, a tiny dog in a cat cage named Max, and a Bassett Hound named Einstein. It was very crowded. I held Blaze throughout, just in case the Pitbull decided he wanted a snack. I opened the door to leave and discovered someone standing outside with a Husky. I had to laugh, because if I had to bring Czar to that place, that is exactly where I would have been.
We have been playing with Blaze using different balls, ropes, and bones. Today, he decided to invent a few games of his own. The first game was called Fight the Wisteria. The previous owner of the house grew a wisteria as a stand alone tree. Because it is a vine, the branches trail to the ground. Blaze kept grabbing a hold of the end of the vine with his teeth, backing himself up, and tugging with all his might. The wisteria, of course, won. As those who have ever attempted to get rid of it know, wisteria is not easily beaten. His attempt to pull down the wisteria reminded me of one of the numerous things Czar destroyed years ago. When we were in Germany, we lived in an old farmhouse with an enclosed courtyard. The back wall of the farmhouse was covered with ivy. The base of the vines were as thick as a person’s arm; it was quite old. One day, Czar decided that he would redecorate. He pulled all the ivy down and dug out the roots. Dale and I came home and just stared in shock. Blaze’s second game was called Don’t Let the Stick Escape. I had planted some flower seeds in one of the beds and had marked the rows with two sticks connected by twine. (My Mom’s favorite row marker.) Blaze decided those sticks were a great find. The kids would hold one stick and the length of twine and second stick would follow. Blaze had great fun trying to prevent the trailing stick’s escape. Blaze’s third game was called Keep the Towel. In the morning, his feet were muddy and I ran up to get a towel so Josiah could dry them off. I remembered I had used a small towel on my pillow because my hair was wet when I went to sleep, so I grabbed that one. Josiah used it to dry off Blaze’s feet, then Blaze grabbed the towel from him and would not give it back, so Josiah let Blaze take it into the crate with him for a nap. He curled up next to the towel and went to sleep with quite a bit less crying. I was sitting there thinking how funny it was that he wanted the towel, when I remembered a bit of advice that I had read about providing the dog with something that has your scent on it to comfort the dog. I hadn’t done it, because I didn’t really believe that it would work. So, Blaze did it for himself.
