Gypsy goes to the doctor

Among the things I've been forgetting and failing to do is to get the kennel license and tags from Fluvanna County for 2010. Today when I pulled out all the rabies certificates to take with me to get the tags, I discovered that Gypsy's rabies vaccine was expired.

I called the vet and got an appointment for early afternoon. Gypsy always likes riding with me, although now I have to lift her into the car. She comes up behind me, puts her head and nose up against my face, and lets me hold her head like that as we drive. People don't always believe that she really is a sweet girl. She's a total daddy's girl and has no use for anyone else.

She's never been good at the vet, but she is better than she was when she was younger. We muzzled her and I held her tight. She got her vaccines, and tested negative for heartworm/lyme/erlichia. We drew blood for some routine blood work because she's an old girl and is on twice daily Rimadyl.

Their records showed her as being 14 years old. They would have got that information from me, but I think it may be stretching the truth a little bit. I've been thinking she is about 12, which definitely makes her the now most senior dog around here.

She's got some wobble in her rear end now, but I told the vet that Gypsy still does everything she did when she was younger, just not quite as fast, quite as long, or quite as hard.