MY clinic, MY vet, MY Janice!!!

Location: Mosquito Creek Veterinary Hospital in North Vancouver, BC http://www.mosquitocreekvethosp.com/
Appointment time: 9:30 am
Treatment: acupuncture + some "LOV'IN"
Weight: 62 lbs - lost two pounds due to extreme exercise lately
Note to self: ask mom for more lamb flanks and chicken backs (fattier), and MUST remember to stand by the treat drawer AT LEAST "4" times a day.

This morning, mom told me we were going to see my auntie Janice (Dr. Janice Crook) for my arthritic elbow because it was starting to get a little "crunchy". I couldn't be happier because I hadn't seen auntie Janice for a little over two weeks. As soon as we got off the Lions Gate Bridge, I started to "sing" and do my "happy dances" back and forth in the car. I knew I was minutes away from seeing auntie Janice!! However, very typical of my mom, she took FOREVER to collect all the things she wanted to bring into the clinic. So I got a little impatient and started pawing at the door lock/latch and popped the door open myself (you can read about my unlocking door skill at "Un-locking" car door for mom ). When mom finally let me out of the car, I DRAGGED mom across the parking lot and marched right into MY clinic!!

Mom thinks it's amazing that even after my plate removal surgery, and all the pokes I have received at the clinic (for bloodworks), I still LOVE to go there and LOVE everyone who works there. In fact, I always storm in there and start "announcing" my presence like I OWN the place. Some people don't understand why I'm so "talkative", but auntie Janice and everybody else who work at the clinic know "Oh, that's Sunshade telling us she wants to be the center of the attention NOW!!!"

Sometimes, like today, the first thing I do after announcing my presence, is to do my "rounds". I feel it is my responsibility to check out who is in MY clinic, who has been in MY clinic, if everything is put in it's right place, and of course, if any treats are left behind..........

Then all of a sudden while I was making my rounds in the kitchen, this lady in blue brought in a cage that was covered by a brown blanket and she left it in MY surgery room!!! I wasn't sure what it was at first, but I could definitely smell it.........

I inched my way toward it, and then................. I saw an eye GLARING at me from inside the cage...

OMG...something is GLARING at me

Auntie Janice told me later on that it was a wild cat the lady in blue had caught in her yard, and he was there to be neutered. Boy did he ever spray, and stunk up MY clinic!!!!

After I "okayed" everything in MY clinic, it was time for some LOV'IN! This is what always ends up happening for the first 5-10 mins of our session......Can you tell HOW MUCH I love my auntie Janice?? I kept trying to lick and "nibble" on Janice's face..., only very special people get these from me!! Mom tried and tried to get some good photos of me and Janice, but neither of us would stop moving LOL!!

TAKE 1

TAKE 2 - trying to give auntie Janice "love nibbles" on the face.......

TAKE 3 - love nibbles on the shoulder......

TAKE 4 - still trying for the shoulder

TAKE 5 - auntie Janice trying to "stabilize" my head to get a good shot

TAKE 6 - hey look at that, my head is STABILIZED!!!

TAKE 7 - FINALLY! Auntie Janice and I stopped adoring each other, but both decided to not look into the camera LOL. It's kinda artistic don't you think?

Then it was time for some "serious" business. My acupuncture time!! Auntie Janice thinks I'm so funny because as soon as I assume the acupuncture position on the sofa, I can't seem to be able to keep my eyes open even BEFORE the needles went in!!!!! It's kind of embarrassing, but I just can't help it. It must be all the tranquility and positive energy surrounding Janice and the clinic that just make me "drift" into a deep sleep.

I'm already "drifting" away...even before the needles were in

Of course, as soon as the first needle went in on top of my head, I was G-O-N-E.....

Auntie Janice putting the 1ST needle in

1ST needle

The effectiveness of acupuncture depends on the individual just like it is with people. It can work miracles for some dogs (like ME ME ME), and do little for others. However, the trick is to have patience and give it enough time to "kick in". It is almost impossible to see overnight results when you first start acupuncture. Take me as an example: I was very lame due to my arthritic elbow back when I was only two years old. I couldn't stop limping so mom decided to give acupuncture a try despite her skepticism. It took a good 4-6 weekly sessions before mom noticed results. Even then, the improvements were not drastic. However, mom followed up with it religiously, and after about two months, the results were quite noticeable. Auntie Janice was able to get the inflammation in my elbow to the lowest possible point, which meant my elbow didn't get nearly as warm or swollen as it used to be. Ever since then, my elbow has been doing great and I can do almost anything a normal dog could do and not come back lame. Mom couldn't have wished for a better result!!

Running current through the needles provide stronger stimulation to the acupoints - since my elbow is the worst of them all, Janice likes to run current through there.

These days, I usually get acupuncture treatments every two to three weeks depending how much exercise I have been having and how well my elbow is doing. Mom can feel how well my elbow is doing during the stretching and range of motion exercises she does with me everyday. Usually when it's time for a treatment, my elbow gets tight, which means I resist a bit during stretching. Or my elbow gets what Janice likes to call it "crunchy", meaning you can actually feel my bones "loose" and grinding against each other during range of motion exercise. However, as soon as I get my treatment, I no longer resist stretching and there is very little to no "crunching" going on during range of motion exercise.

Ok, so I have been telling you how much I love MY clinic, MY vet, MY Janice right?? Well, now I'm gonna tell you how much I REALLY love MY clinic, My vet, My Janice and everybody who works at Mosquito Creek.

As you can see from my previous posts, I usually get along fine with other dogs. However, due to the fact that I think I OWN auntie Janice and the clinic, I get very "rude" to all the dogs and cats that come into MY clinic. I get very "mad" when I see auntie Janice or Jennifer or anybody else handling other dogs and I start protesting and threatening the other dogs at the top of my lungs. Mom tells me that's not a good girl behavior, and I know that in my heart, but I just can't help it. They are MINE MINE MINE!!! Auntie Janice knows I'm not a meanie, so she always tells people with a little chuckle, "Sunshade just thinks she owns the place!!!".

The interesting thing is that, the ONLY dog that I have never tried to be rude is Janice's "baby", KAYLA!! This is Kayla, can you guess how old she is???

Kayla had just started coming to work with Janice since last year, and I had only just met her then. She is about half my size, but for whatever reason, I knew the day I met her for the first time that I had to "respect" her. I knew I couldn't be rude to her like I was with all other dogs who set foot in MY clinic. Mom thinks it's because for some reason, I know that Kayla's mom, auntie Janice owns the clinic, and since Kayla OWNS her mom, that Kayla technically OWNS the clinic AND everyone else who sets foot in the clinic.

Just like me, Kayla likes to be in the center of the attention ALL THE TIME! She gets mad at Janice when Janice is in the examination room with clients, and starts complaining until her mom gives in and comes out to "fulfill" her "needs". I think this is totally and utterly ACCEPTABLE!! I would do exactly the same thing, just in a "pushier" way if MY mom were with other dogs all day!!

You must really want to know how old auntie Janice's puppy Kayla is right?? Well lets just say she would have been driving for a good 6 months now if she were a human! YES...Kayla is a healthy 16 year old who has been "raw fed" (My diet - The BARF Diet) all her life. Auntie Janice adopted Kayla back in 92' while she was still in vet school. Like me and mom, Kayla and auntie Janice are "soulmates" too!!

Another one of my favorite people is MY vet tech Jennifer!!

Jennifer loves me because I make the same grunting/growly noises her "Noelle Shirley" makes. Shirley is a very cute, 3 year old "lurcher" (any kind of sight hound mix with a terrier). She is a Scottish Deerhound cross with an American Staffeshire Terrier. Just look at her, isn't she adorable?? Mom loves that "scruffy" look and so do I!!

Shirley was thrown from a moving truck onto Jen's front lawn as a one week old puppy (?? check with Jen) by some heartless idiots on Christmas Eve, hence the name "Noelle" Shirley. However, it must be doG's wish to have Shirley "delivered" to Jen because guess what? Just like Kayla and me, Shirley is Jen's "one in a million soulmate"!!

You know what the common denominators for us three gals are??

• The world REVOLVES around US
• We have our moms wrapped around our little toes
• We are extremely smart yet "pushy" girls
• We tend to grab onto your heart and NEVER let go!!!