英语博客(A cup of English):Vaccines for Foxy.（在线收听）

Beginners.

Today, Foxy had an appointment with the vet for vaccinations and a general check-up. She is about eight months old, so she needed her second set of vaccinations. The vet also needed to see if her growth was normal and healthy. I put her in her cage, in the back of the car, and drove about ten minutes to the Animal Hospital of Wenatchee. It is a lovely building, brand new infact, that is right in the center of town. The owner had had a pet shop which sold many different kinds of pets, and their supplies. The owner's husband is a vet. Now, they have changed their business, and they deal with the medical needs of animals. When you walk in the building you see that it is all about animals, and very tastefully arranged. Their is a fish tank, huge books all about animals, a statue of St. Francis of Asisi, and accessories all around that have images of dogs. There is even a special greeter. A little, fluffy dog that belongs to the owners spends its days in the animal hospital. Every time someone new walks in, it comes up to you, has a look and a sniff, checks out your pet, and then goes back behind the secretary's desk. It can't quite say,"Can I take your coat, sir? Please make yourself comfortable. The vet will see you shortly." But, it would be very fitting if it did. Anyway, we arrived on time and waited in the waiting area. Foxy was nervous, I think. She sniffed, and sniffed. And her tail wasn't wagging at all. We comforted her and cuddled her, but still, she was not too happy about being there.

Grammar notes.

The preterite: sniff/ sniffed, to need/ needed, to be/ was/ were.

Exs:

The movie was very sad. The audience sniffed through most of it.

I needed to tell the truth. I also needed to know if it was safe to do so.

I was waiting at the bus stop for half an hour. Where were all the buses? Were they on strike?

Advanced.

 Poor Foxy had an ordeal today. It wasn't anything serious, but she thought it was. Talk about a nervous female! She whined all the way to the veterinary clinic. When she was inside the building, her tail was down and between her legs, a sure sign of being unhappy or scared. I had to keep a tight hold on her leash because she was a little out of control, pulling and wanting to get out. Eventually, the vet was ready to see her. She put her up on a table and examined her bones, and checked her heart, ears, and teeth. She gave Foxy the thumbs up for good health. And then it was time for her injections. I was so surprised that Foxy whined and made a lot of fuss. My other dog barely whined at all when she had her shots. But, Foxy is obviously much more sensitive. " Each dog is different, just like humans," said the vet. She had difficulty examining her paws also. The dog just wouldn't let her. She has been licking her paws for a couple of days, which could be a sign of injury. However, the vet ran her fingers over the surface and in between her toes, and found nothing. Perhaps, as she has been running, she has injured herself a little. But, she is recovering. All these things needed to be checked, and I was so glad that she was given a clean bill of health. It was a relief to get her home. She is not used to being away from our other dog, Rosie. So, she was happy to be reunited. Unfortunately for me, I had to hose out her cage when we got home. Nerves had got the best of her, and I had to wash out the consequences, if you know what I mean.

Grammar notes.

Vocabulary: an ordeal, a leash, a paw, a clean bill of health, to hose (off).

The strike was quite an ordeal. There was a lot of tension and bad feelings.

When I took the dog for a walk, the leash got tangled around her paws.

My grandmother had been really ill, but the doctor now gives her a clean bill of health.

Roll out the hose and turn the water on please. I have to hose off my children; they are covered in mud.