Balio finished his final round of booster shots for his puppy vaccinations, which is a relief since we have been taking biweekly trips to Viroqua for 2 months now, and neither one of us really enjoy the experience. Between his car sickness, obstinate refusal to walk on the leash, the vet bills, and the sick irony that my dog has better healthcare than Rufus and I, I’m just glad we are done for awhile. Balio weighed in at 61.5 lbs today and I am coming to the realization that this giant hound may be stronger than me. We had a tempestuous tug of war while I tried to get him out of the back of the car. He leaned back with all his weight and whipped his head back and forth in an attempt to free himself from the foreign object around his neck. He wasn’t aggressive or anything, but he resisted my leading with impressive force. I eventually had to get behind him and push him out of the car. By some miracle, he decided (all on his own) that he would walk into the vet office, and for the first time, I didn’t have to lug him in like an invalid. The trip back to the car didn’t go so smoothly. It is pointless to try to pull him and I was worried he might actually bust out of the collar and leash and run into the street, so I wrapped my arms around his big hairy body and toted him back to the car once again while 2 onlookers laughed unabashedly at the sight of us. Back to the farm with you, foul beast… maybe for good this time.

~Joy