"This won't hurt at all" ... and it didn't

A steady stream of unsuspecting cats and dogs filed in to the Countryside Humane Society Thursday for that annual rite of fall: vaccinations. Here, Junior (or is it Bubba? They all look the same to me.) gets his shot from the able hands of Curtis Perry, an otherwise retired vet. Jessica Lange, 11, of Mount Pleasant, calms her cat, while her sister, Natalie, 9, seems more interested in yours truly. No accounting for taste.

It was a busy day for the shelter: 33 dogs and 19 cats received a variety of shots. Mostly rabies and distemper, but also flea treatments, heartworm and leukemia tests and several microchips. After all vaccinations were done, many owners signed up to get their animals spayed or neutered at the shelter's low-cost clinic.