We enjoyed a pleasant enough drive in the countryside yesterday afternoon. On our way to Russell, Ontario, about a half-hour drive from where we live in Ottawa. Mostly farm country, not much in the way of forested areas. Again a dearth of snow, given this unusual winter for this region. We were on our way to the rural veterinarian clinic that the breeder from whom we adopted Jack and Jill uses. It's those vets that gave them their first shots. And, interestingly enough we discovered, by travelling to the breeder's establishment to do so.

The clinic is an all-female enterprise; three veterinarians and the office staff as well including the veterinarian technologists, all women. When we arrived there was no car other than ours in the small parking lot, but that soon changed as there began a regular stream of clients after our arrival. The clinic itself surprised me, it was larger than I had expected, and obviously sturdily and attractively purpose-built.

The young woman vet who looked after our two scamps was very amiable, and most amenable to responding to all our questions. Yet, she like all the other veterinarians with whom we've come in contact (most, in any event with rare exceptions) spoke encouragingly of all manner of shots we could choose to submit our two little charges to, from leptosporosis to ticks to guardia and beyond.

We're averse to pumping them full of drugs and chemicals if they don't need them, and beyond using the annual heartworm/intestinal parasites medication, and the requisite rabies shots, we're not all that given to other drugs.

Jill behaved quite nervously while we were there, struggling to get free, though where she meant to take herself is anyone's guess; back home, one supposes. Jack was more calm, but even he became puppyishly restless. Both, however, submitted meekly enough to the physical examination, and the following puppy booster shot. The veterinarian had distracted them with a treat she had mashed on the examination table, and while they were busy scooping it up, she administered the shot to each. In a leg, oddly enough; previously our experience had been that the shot would be given in the backside.

Unsurprisingly the caption on the little blue shirts reads "Spoiled"

Later, at home, Jill kept licking the site, and occasionally whimpered in pain or annoyance. They were both much quieter than is their norm last evening, quite unlike their usual selves. In one sense it was pleasurable, in another it was worrying. Same thing first thing this morning, very quiet little puppies. But the mood-lethargy that had assailed them as after-effects of their inoculation seemed to have worn off a few hours later, and they were right back in the acting-out business.