Friday on the way into work, one exit before mine, I noticed for the first time that there was an animal hospital. About a mile later, at my exit, I saw this old, slow moving basset hound crossing the road at end of the exit ramp. I've pulled the car over for stray dogs before, and usually they run, but not this guy. He let me pet him on top of the head. He was muddy and bloody, so I got a nasty Maggie-towel out of the trunk and put it on the backseat. It wasn't easy for him to get up, but he was more than willing, and he got in the car and lay down. He sniffed out the window a little but was mostly very mellow. I drove back to the animal hospital (just a regular vet) and went in to make sure they were open and could look at him, and when I came back out to the car to get him, he had dragged his muddy, bloody body up to my seat and was resting comfortably.
He came inside with me, and they kept him for the day, checking him out (heartworm-negative, no microchip, looks about 6.5 years old or but probably younger and has had a hard life, a bit arthritic, has kinds of hookworm) and giving him some basic vaccines. Poor guy - last night they carried him to my car, and he waited patiently in the car while I went two different places to get the things he needed (a harness and dog bed). Other than wagging his tail a bit when I buckled his harness on him, he was pretty nonresponsive. Maggie wasn't too threatened by him because he was just a lump. I had to carry him up the stairs (and down and back up). He's a huge basset, by the way - 70 lbs. He wouldn't eat a thing, camped out on the kitchen floor and wouldn't move, other than having a bit of water.
I think his day at the vet really took it out of him.
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