Stitches Out

Sally got her stitches out this afternoon. I keep learning lessons from this dog.

The first was when I took the top off her crate. As soon as I unscrewed the top of the crate and lifted it, she bolted out. The first time she ran into my TV room, under the table. She is brilliant at hiding. It was work to get her out and very stressful. She clings to the carpet for dear life.

I get her back in the crate.

I let several minuets pass and try again. As soon as the top comes off...BOOM...she bolts through the sliding glass screen door outside. Just went right through the screen like a knife through butter. I took off after her with a gusto I haven't mustered in a while. If she gets into the ivy or back fence, I have a tremendous fight on my hands getting her out.



She runs all the way to the end of the yard, which is fenced-in thankfully, and then back towards the house. I am hoping she will go back intp the house. If she gets down the ally, she is out front and then I have an entirely different scenario. She could get into the street and I would never get her.

Chasing her, I realized how out of shape I am!

She goes into the house and I hear a bang. I see the front screen door open.

I run out through the screen door and don't see her. I go back in the house and look at all the places she hides and don't see her. She is a black dog so it’s difficult to spot her in a small corner. I go back in the TV room and she is stuffed in a corner under the coffee table.

This couldn't be worse for her trip to the vet! I wanted her to be relaxed and she is totally stressed out.

I put the bottom part of the crate in my back seat and finally get her in the car with a towel over the top for seclusion. We head off to the vet.

The stitch removal took ten minutes. Very nice people. I can tell a well run vet/Dx's office the first few seconds I enter. This place was good.

On the drive home she did well. I'm sure she was petrified of all the noises. I was encouraged in how she exited the car when we got home. The first trip back from the vet she was so afraid it was nearly impossible to pull her from the carpet--she cleaved to it for dear life.

This time with leash on, she walked out and right up the driveway to the yard and then into the house. In the house she goes to her bottom stance until she finds a secure place. I put her in the laundry basket and she snuggled in my dirty clothes.

After getting the bottom portion of the crate from my car, I attached it and she went inside. I gave her a rub down then a treat. She is resting now.

Back to a dog's life...

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