The One With All the Blood

Let me set the scene for you. In a small, fenced-in parking lot packed with cars overlooking an alley, three vet techs -- a big white guy, a small Asian woman and medium-sized Hispanic guy -- meet two white women, one dressed as if she's ready for dog training, the other dressed as if ready for a day of sitting at her desk in corporate America, with a large Akita mix in a leather muzzle straight out of Silence of the Lambs. Since drawing blood isn't working in the vet clinic, here they are gathered in a parking lot. The goal is to get the Akita mix behind one of the back doors of the clinic with one woman holding the leash, one woman holding the leg and a vet tech drawing blood. If this sounds easy, I haven't described it correctly.

Yes, I was the one dressed for work. The things we will do for our children. Here I am, standing in a pile of mud with a sprinkler spraying directly on my left foot, which still hasn't dried, because no one else wants to stand right there. So I dive in because I don't want to waste time. My boss is behind the door, holding firmly to the leash so Muggsy can't break free, I'm ankle-deep in mud and the head vet tech of the clinic was trying to get blood. My goal was to hold Muggsy's back leg so tight that he couldn't buck. It worked. When he tried to buck, he fell and landed on his side (did I fail to mention that the error of this plan is that there are no walls on the other sides of back doors to block him). He was snarling, but I had a hold and the vet got the blood.

Yes, read: THE VET GOT THE BLOOD!!! Our team of vet techs and dog trainers were able to overpower a snarling Akita to get blood out of his damn leg. Yes, I know you're all wondering, I did cry. :) I was so happy and relieved. I still feel a little numb actually. We were so keyed in on getting it done quickly before Muggsy could get too freaked out and react that the appointment was at 9 and we were done by 9. Right now, Muggsy is hunkered down in his crate with a nasty, meaty bone that I bought him to reward him while keeping him from attacking Chubbs during his cool-down period. I'm going home in a half hour to let him out and spend lunch with them.

So what does this mean? Well, Muggsy will be tested for thyroid problems, which often lead to aggression in dogs. If he has a low thyroid, we will shut down his thyroid and he will be on medication for the rest of his life. We will also check his liver enzymes. If those are healthy, he will be put on Paxil for 3-6 months as we try to train him to calm down and accept new people, dogs and situations without so much fear. This is the necessary next step in training him, though I hate to admit it. I don't want to put him on medication, but he is in a constant state of stress and will need a little help getting over the hump.

This also means that Muggsy -- and this blog -- will get a small training vacation. He will get a few days to relax where I only train him on fun things, maybe targeting or maybe nothing at all, before he will start going on medication and begin his classical conditioning/desensitization program.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement. Now, I think I'll go pass out somewhere. I haven't slept in three days. :)