The worst dog they'd ever seen...

My story today, is not about what happened at the clinic, but who. He was not the biggest, or the hairiest, the strongest or the worst smelling, he was not even the meanest dog ever to enter my domain. What he was, was the most determined. I think the people misunderstood him though. All of the technician helpers got the concerned looks on their faces, and each took on their own fear smell. Mother wasn't so much afraid, as she was cautious, but concerned nonetheless. Hannibal was his name. He was a Belgian Malinois, at least I think that's what he was saying: he was saying so many things when he came in that it's hard to remember it all.
The visit should have been a quick one. Mother just likes to introduce herself to the dog and to his family, and then do some of the touching and poking tests that sometimes tickle. Well, Hannibal would have none of it. When she said “Hello”, he growled that he was “Not interested.”. When she said, “Can I just listen to your heartbeat”, he yelled, “Never, never, no, no, never, never, no”. At this point, pretty much everyone in the room became stiffer, the fear smell grew stronger, and I could tell that Hannibal was just starting to hit his stride. Soon, Hannibal's mother, his father, and his older brother were hugging him, trying to reassure him, and trying to hold him still. But the more they held on, the stronger Hannibal's resolve grew. “I will not be held down, you can't restrain this, I'd just like to see you try” he rumbled as he twisted and turned, bucking each family member off in turn.
By this point, mother had backed off, trying to find another way to approach the crazed canine.
She seemed to have shaken off the fear smell, and had replaced it with one of my favorite smells – liver snacks. Bite sized, marvelous bits of yum!! Clearly, Hannibal had tried them before because his body seemed to soften too. Mother approached him cautiously with one delectable tid-bit in her hand and before I could lick the drool from my lips, it was gone. Then went another. Pretty soon, Hannibal was sitting and wagging his tail. Mother handed the bag to Vonnie who continued to keep Hannibal busy sniffing and gobbling goodies. This allowed mother to finish her examination of the dog. Completely unaware that he'd had anything other than a good snack, Hannibal and his family went on their merry way. Some people think that every dog has to be held down and forced into submission. Hannibal's lesson is that not all dogs think alike, and so not all dogs should be treated alike. Also, liver treats can go along way to making us dogs forget about stuff. So liver treats for everyone... that's what I say!