A very, very good boy

It might not seem to have been the best idea, but I took Leo to the vet for his first round of vaccinations today, which is also the first anniversary of Sunny’s death—at the same vet practice. Thing is, I only remembered the anniversary at all because Facebook served it up to me as a “Memory”. It was fine, and Leo was a good boy.

The worst thing wasn’t the coincidence of the date, it was that’s Leo was a little more than two years late for his jabs. He would’ve been due a couple months after Nigel died, and maybe I got a reminder from the vet we went to, maybe I didn’t, but whatever the case, I absolutely was in no state of mind for it to register. At that time, I was looking for a house in Hamilton and getting ready to put our last shared house on the market. Then, I moved. Then, I sold our old house. Then Covid Lockdown—and out and back in lockdown, then Sunny got sick, and then Jake's health declined, and—there was a lot going on.

Meanwhile, I’ve been trying—and really, really struggling—to get Leo groomed. His former groomer has moved much too far away, and it’s been difficult to find a new one. It’s not that there aren’t any, it’s that I have to TRUST them, and that’s a HUGE ask. I’ve had an awful groomer in the past (she was not a nice person, at all), but the main thing is that Leo is all that’s left of the family I still had at this point three years ago.

So, in the meantime, I’ve been trimming away his matted fur, and I keep trying to use the electric clippers for dog grooming—but they just don’t seem as good or useful as when Nigel and I groomed the dogs at the old house. I can’t work out why that is, but I do know that Leo hates the sound of clippers, anyway. However, after a lot of patient effort, I now have him tolerating me using scissors—for awhile.

This is where his jabs come into the story. I was researching groomers online (with raised eyebrow and staunch scepticism…) and the site associated with the groomers at the vet/pet place mentioned that owners had to present their dog’s vaccination record before the grooming (because the shop and vet clinic have sick dogs coming in). That’s when I suddenly remembered Leo was late for his vaccinations. I, of course, see and appreciate the irony in me being such a staunch promoter of Covid vaccination, yet being totally oblivious to the fact my little mate was WAY overdue for his normal jabs. Life’s messy.

I immediately booked an appointment for Leo to get his jabs. The grooming can wait.

So, today Leo got his first round of vaccination: They have to start from scratch because it’s been too long since his last ones. Today he got the vaccines for parvovirus (important because there are currently outbreaks in various parts of NZ), and he also got, um, other stuff (I forget what the rest were; it was the parvo one I was most keen for him to get). He goes back in three weeks for his next round, which I remember includes kennel cough vaccine.

I still have to solve the grooming conundrum. The vet told me they’ve been having trouble finding a groomer for their facility (I didn’t ask why), but it’ll be weeks before Leo’s vaccines are fully effective, anyway, and he can’t go to a groomer until they are. That means at least two weeks from today’s, or even five weeks from now for the next lot to be fully effective, too. In the meantime, I’m going to give him a bath on Friday, and I’ll trim him some more with scissors (I know from past experience that he’s more compliant/cooperative when he’s wet). That’ll buy me time until (at least) today’s jabs are fully activated.

The situation is what it is. I could feel guilty about it, because I definitely should’ve been paying attention to Leo’s vaccination status—the fact that there was so much on my plate is no excuse. But I won’t feel guilty about what I can’t change—what’s the point of that?! Instead, I’m going to do what I always do when I discover that I made a mistake: I’ll do better.

One way or another, Leo will be groomed, and the truly important thing is that the vet practice will now remind me when Leo’s coming up on his vaccination time. To be extra sure, I’ll also set up a Reminder so all my devices will let me know in case the vet doesn’t.

This obviously isn’t the first time I’ve screwed up, and it absolutely won’t be the last: Like I said, life’s messy. But to paraphrase one of my favourite writers, Maya Angelou, when I know better, I do better. There’s no sin in screwing up, but there’s definitely salvation in seeing one's own mistakes and then doing better.

But, yeah, this probably wasn’t the best day to have this opportunity for personal growth. Leo, however, was a very, very good boy.

The photo above is of Leo in one of his beds this evening. He was subdued when we got home this afternoon, but was pretty much back to normal by evening.