the princess sleeps

Maggie had a big day today. She had her first trip to the vet. New puppies need to be double checked for all kinds of anomalities that I’ve never heard of, things with horrible names and descriptions like heartworms, tapeworms, roundworms, kennel cough… well of course I knew that my Maggie couldn’t possibly have any of these horrid things but we had better go check anyway so it would be official that she is The Most Perfect Living Creature To Ever Grace The Planet. The trip to the vet was rather smooth, she whimpered in her crate in the back seat for the short 5 minute drive, but was very good when we got inside so I let her out to do a little roaming around the waiting room. That’s when the nurses spotted her. “OOOOOOOO MY GAAAAAAAAWWWDDDDDD!!!” “Oh Tracy LOOK at the PUPPY!” “Oh give me that little fuzzball, what’s her name?” “My goodness yes, yes you are so beautiful, yes you are, you have just made my day little Maggie, I was pretty grumpy until I met you…” You would think that these girls had never ever seen a puppy in their entire lives. They held her and stroked her and lavished her with compliments and you could just see it in Maggie’s eyes, “Oh yes, oh yes I know. Yes I am beautiful. Yes I am. Don’t I know it.” She was deemed the cutest puppy any of them had ever seen, and I think that says it all.

When it was time for her exam we went into the examination room and she was weighed. Just under four pounds. She was fondled and handled and checked for this and that, and when it was all over I received her report card, an A+. The doctor said she was the most perfect puppy he had ever seen. Well then. Didn’t I tell you?

The ride home was less than pleasant, Maggie told me quite clearly with her wailing. She has three levels of crying. One: the Whimper. A high pitched puppy whimper, exactly as you would expect it to be. Two: the Super Whimper, with Vibrato. Take the whimper and add a trilling extended high note to each sound. And then three… and this one kills me every time: the Wail. The wail does not sound canine. It’s part baby human, part baby cow. She’s doing it now! “Mrumm…Mrumm… Nrlrummm!” I cannot help but laugh, it is precious.

Ok, she is getting really pathetic down there, I must go rescue her from her cave. I will have some pictures later today, so check back soon!