Frankie had his physical Monday night.

Old dog survived the traumatic two mile car trip to the Vet’s office, interactions with other jumpy, barky types, and being poked, prodded, and touched.

Here’s how it went down:

“Oh Frankie, you’re such a gentleman, if only all of our patients were as good as you,” said the Vet to our Rooney-eye-browed dog.

Andy Rooney: a striking similarity, eyebrows-wise; google images.com

Yes?

As expected, Frank took it all in stride.

In fact, his reactions to the Veterinary Inquiry are shown in italics below:

“He looks so good for his age, I can’t believe he will be 12 this year!”  Thank you; I’ve been doing downward-facing dog a lot lately.

“He’s even lost weight!”  I’ve been walking with Mom every day. It’s nearly the best part of my day, ‘cept when the kid gets home from school. And lunch with Dad. I love lunch. Who doesn’t love lunch?

me and my boy; I can't believe he's about to Graduate!

“His ticker sounds so strong!”  Duh!! Walks with Mom every day. And if you visited my house you’d notice that the squirrels and I have an agreement; they stay on the fence or behind it. Grrr. 

“How does he do getting up and down all the stairs in your house?” Sometimes getting up onto my boy’s bed hurts a little, and, truth be told, I moan an awful lot.  But, more often than not, it’s a sigh.  It’s the the happy kind you make when your belly is full and your boy is near and the sun is streaming through the window. Sometimes I ache but I’ll never, ever complain.  Mom bought me a new bed recently, and it’s so big and fluffy, they call it the “Condo” because I can disappear in it. And I do.

Frankie's condo; it's the least an old dog deserves

“Let’s get him on some glucosamine, it will really help his joints feel better. And they’re liver flavored; dogs love them!”  Clearly we’ve just met; I’m not a typical dog: I don’t eat anything shaped like that without Peanut Butter or a little cheese.  Skippy and Sharp cheddar, that’s where it’s at.

“Flea and tick season is here; we’ll need to start him on that plus heartworm medicine, right?”   Great, more liver flavored stuff.   That’s OK, Mom will hide them in a peanut butter sandwich and I’ll play along. (It’s our secret.)  And when she puts that oily stuff on my shoulders, I’ll strut and channel Billy Idol.

Nice day for a White Wedding yeah! (google.images.com)

“His coat looks great! What are you feeding him?”  Pedigree.  You know … the food for dogs born without one?  Don’t forget chicken broth and a little pizza crust.  I’m pretty diversified, now that I think of it. Hey, is that a grill I smell?

“Have you ever thought of having his teeth cleaned?  We can do that, but you need to know it does involve anesthesia and such.”  My mom’s a farm girl. She loves me but I’m not seeing doggie dentures in my future.  Besides, that’s what Milk Bones are for. Speaking of, when’s lunch?

At least I don't have an overbite! google.images.com

And there you have it. A day in the life of old dog.  Traumatic two mile car ride and all.

I hope we have many, many more.

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.” — Unknown