Dr. Stu Nelson — chief Iditarod veterinarian — came by the Kennel yesterday and had a lengthy visit with Aliy and Allen to talk about a broad range of topics, ranging from food and hydration to training and medication. Afterwards, he and Aliy went out into the dog yard to take a look at the hounds, and I followed along with my camera.
Their examination of the dogs began, of course, with ChaCha (aka “Top Dog”) and proceeded thoroughly and methodically throughout the pack. They conversed in a manner that was pretty technical, yet obviously comfortable and familiar for them. Although I shot a number of clips of particular examinations, they didn’t strike me as being all that interesting to watch so I’ve left them out of the video.
What I’ve left in are an introductory clip and a “human interest” clip in which I ask Aliy how she feels about having Dr. Nelson examine her dogs. In the latter you get a sense of the examination process… and a special treat!
You see, ChaCha (who — have I mentioned? — is “Top Dog” around here) really doesn’t like it when other dogs get special attention. As a result, she had a little “acting out” episode that I might normally put into an outtake but have included here just for fun.
So, with no further ado, I offer you this video of our “Vet Visit” with a “ChaCha Outtake”:
Glad to hear you are feeling better Mac! Nurse Stella did her magic and got you back on your feet! Cha Cha is a hoot! Thanks for sharing the vet visit by Dr Nelson and getting that interesting overview interview of the Iditarod Vet Program.