so i had an adventure today.

a dog adventure. dennis says, "why do these things happen to you????" to which i have no reply.

i take the dogs to animal house for their shots and de-worming so i can get the barangay clearance for their registrations. (new makati rule, sigh.)

this involves a lot of work. rose takes tigger, i take sammy. they fight when they get leashed at the same time. also when they get fed or put outside. DOGFIGHT.

so rose takes tigger down to the van first, i follow with sam. can't put them in the elevator together.

i put sammy in the back of the van, tie his leash tightly to the handhold thingie. then rose gets in with tigger and i tie him also.

then we drive to animal house. no problems on the journey.

get to animal house.

it's 4 in the afternoon, about 25 dogs inside, plus miscellaneous rabbits, cats, and a bird or two.

my dogs are snarling. i can't stand the smell inside so i opt to sit outside with sam while rose registers us. (DID I MENTION I HAVE ASTHMA.)

while sitting outside, a beggar boy comes up to me begging for money. he pulls up his t-shirt and shows me a huge wound on his belly that looks like a hernia or huge boil. sammy is going mental barking at him, so i move to the other side of the parking lot.

finally i go check at the door and rose beckons that we can come in.

without too much fuss, tigger is given his shots. nice doctor. ears cleaned, nails clipped. done.

sammy, now, is a different story.

he growls. he snarls. he wiggles and almost falls off the treatment table several times. finally rose and i take tigger and leave so the vet can deal with sam alone. NO LUCK.

so sam does not get all his nails clipped.

rose takes sammy outside and i stay in with tigger to pay the bill and buy the medicine and get the barangay certificate.

BAD MOVE.

a huge yellow dog, he looks like a cross between a yellow lab and a st. bernard, comes in. he must weigh 150 pounds. he's led by a little old lady. everyone in the waiting room visibly becomes nervous...

and, just in my style of luck, TIGGER GOES BALLISTIC.

now, when tigger is in a rage, my husband has difficulty holding him. he's 28 pounds of pure solid muscle, with a neck like a horse.

TIGGER LAUNCHES HIMSELF THRU THE AIR TO THE BIG DOG, AND THE BIG DOGS LUNGES FOR TIGGER.

i am holding tigger with the heavy duty chain wrapped around my hand. i can't hold him. i drag him back and lock his head between my knees. both dogs are barking full volume. people in the waiting room are screaming. tiny dogs are barking. rabbits are quivering in their cages as the huge dog throws his body around and bumps their cages. the little old lady puts her arms around the massive body and buries his head in her bosom. "it's ok, it's ok" she assures all of us.

yeah right. maybe she can control her dog, but i cannot control mine.

i am holding tigger with all my might. hands numb. i've got his head between my knees which are about to give out.

the little old lady bundles the elephant dog around to the back wall of the clinic, his WOOF WOOF causing more screaming.

i begin to waddle across the room, tigger's head between my knees STILL, slapping his head over and over and shouting STOP, STOP!!!!

i reach the door. rush outside. hurry him over to rose and sammy (DOGFIGHT ENSUES THERE NOW TOO) and go back inside to wait for the bill. my hands are throbbing, red and swollen.

big dog is still WOOFING.

i pay the bill, get the medicine, and repeat the procedure of putting the dogs in the van. i drive home.

this has taken 2 hours.

i am exhausted.

i love my dogs. sometimes.