My Rat Terrier Sonny: Our Trip To The Vet

In preparation for the odyssey that we’ll be enduring at the end of this month, Sonny and I decided to visit the vet (or as my addled, middle-aged mind referred to her, the ventriloquist – don’t ask). You see, almost every year, we drive up to Buffalo and Toronto from Knoxville, TN, two whole times; first in the spring/summer and then in November. Not only do we get a chance to see our friends and family but we also get away from our rut even if it’s only for a week. Usually, while we’re away, our neighbor checks in on Boris (the cat) at least once a day to make sure he has everything he needs, clean his litter (what an angel she is) and play with him a while. Sonny, on the other hand has had to be boarded – something Rat Terriers abhor! He’s always lost a little too much weight and had mild behavior problems for a while afterwards so we really didn’t like doing it but what could we do? This year, however, my husband decided that we should take him with us… to Buffalo… in the car… with us… in the car… for eleven or twelve hours… in the car! Not a problem, you say. However, Sonny gets car sick (like Mummy, like Puppy) and, therefore is really quite afraid of the car. Ergo, our trip to the vet for some fantastic knock-out pills (my hope).

I had decided to change veterinarians as our other one had already claimed our arm, leg and first born for the very few times we’d actually gone to see her. After talking to the neighbors and discovering that I was the only one stupid enough to still go there, I took their cue and made an appointment at the new place. I got an appointment right away for 3:30 pm but I was supposed to be there at 3:00 pm to fill out the obligatory paperwork. Excellent.

The day arrived and since the office was only about 7 minutes away from my house, I decided, quite foolishly as it turned out, that I should leave around 2:45 pm. I, of course, hadn’t counted on Sonny refusing to go. With the car door opened, I let Sonny do his business to avoid any accidents and then led him, naively, to the door expecting him to jump up and into the car happily and elegantly. Instead, he looked at me as though I’d sprouted antlers, cocked his head to the left and promptly sat down on the driveway. (To be continued...)


To help your dog live a longer, healthier life, download your free copy of the Long Life Dog Book. To see pictures of Rat Terriers and find out more about them, please visit Rat Terrier Life Span and for information on keeping your best friend trim, take a look at Dog Weight Problems.