Judge Not, Lest Your Dog Be Even More Obnoxious

One of the most amazing things about my new job is the savings I get on my dogs' health care. I probably shouldn't disclose the actual information or discounts, but you should know that it's a substantial savings! :) Plus, our clinic goes much more in depth than our old vet did, with tests and immunizations that I'd never even heard of. It's really quite impressive.

So after having all their records faxed over, I discovered that all my dogs are due for various things. I decided to take MoJo to work with me today to get things rollin'. I figured I'd just keep him in the back (in our boarding area) for the majority of the day, bring him up for his appointment, then "board" him again till it was time to go home. Well within 15 minutes of his stay in back, I was regretting this decision. He barked incessantly the whole day. 

At first I was really embarrassed and annoyed. For one thing, all week long I've been complaining about a weimaraner that's been boarding with us. She seemed to bark non-stop and was really, really loud. But MoJo's bark was at a particularly irritating pitch and much more persistent. More like an "AAH! AAH! AAH!" instead of "woof woof." I kept thinking, "Geez! Stop it!" I was worried that my boss and coworkers would form a negative impression of him before even getting to see him outside the cage. They kept insisting he was fine and not bothering anyone, but he was bothering ME.

Well then as the day went on, my annoyance turned into concern. I simply had no idea that MoJo had such terrible separation anxiety. And no one we've boarded him with in the past has ever said anything to me about his ridiculous overreacting. (My theory is that those kennels have indoor/outdoor runs so he doesn't feel so confined. But who knows.) When we crate him at home, he just lies down when we shut the door. (WRIGLEY is the one that barks like a maniac when crated. You can be sure he won't be coming to work with my anytime soon! *haha*) Anyway, when I went back to check on him, he was practically frothing at the mouth with drool because he was panting so hard. He kept it up all day. It was terrible!

On the upside, his appointment went fine. We're waiting on the results from a couple of tests, but I was excited that Dr. Olson didn't tell me he was falling apart or anything (since I felt like he was, with the way he'd been acting.) And he also didn't act like he hated MoJo, which relieved the Mommy in me. :)

And I've learned my lesson about judging other people's dogs. Just because they rant and misbehave in our setting, doesn't mean they're bad dogs. It's obvious to me that dogs can have split personalities and be a COMPLETELY different animal away from home than they generally are for their masters. As I type this with my sweet MoJo snuggled calmly up against me, I can't even see a shadow of the crazed maniac he was earlier. (Probably because he's so completely wiped out and exhausted from all the barking! *haha*)

On that note, I put together this little video about my babies and I wanted to share it with you.  (I used iMOVIE to make it. Words cannot describe how user friendly this software is - it's SO easy to use!) I hope you like it. :) (The song is "The Puppy Song" by Harry Nilsson. I first heard it on the "You've Got Mail" soundtrack. It makes me happy!)