TGIW

[Sunsetsky]

Thank God It's Wednesday. I always make sure I enjoy my Thursdays off. Here's my week so far. And this is just a small chunk.

Answering machine problems
This happens all the damn time. We tell clients we will leave them a message with results to something. And when we do leave them a message they don't listen to it.

SC: Hi. I received a call from someone there.
CW: Alright. Do you know who called you?
SC: No.
CW: Okay. Let me find out.

CW goes and finds out which doctor called. Doctor tells CW that she left a message for the client.

CW: Alright. The doctor said she left you a message.
SC: I know. I didn't bother listening to it.


Identity crisis?
Not quite sucky. It just kind of amuses me a little bit. We get this all the time.

C: I need to get my dog in.
Me: Alright. What are we seeing your pet for?
C: He's just not himself.
Me: Okay...what's going on exactly?
C: I don't know. He's just not himself.

I usually want to respond with a "Then who is he?" but I figured that would fall under the same category as the "Then it must be free" jokes.


Why small children shouldn't hold big dogs
Client came in with her dog and young daughter. I bet her daughter was maaaaybe two. She was old enough to walk but not quite constructing full sentences yet. I don't know if that gives anyone an idea on age or not.

Anyways, the entire time I was checking her out she was yelling at her daughter to come back over to her. She had given the leash to her daughter to hold and her daughter kept wandering off with the dog. Lobby was full of people this time. When I stood up to swipe her card, I glanced over at the toddler and the dog and realized that on the other end of the leash was a half grown basset hound puppy. -_-

Bassets aren't exactly small dogs. I'm wondering what the client was thinking when she made her toddler hold onto that leash in a lobby full of people.


Overreaction much?
On Monday someone decided to show up with their dog without an appointment.

SC: I have an emergency and I think I might have to euthanize my dog.
Me: Alright. Did you call ahead?
SC: Uh no! I have an emergency!
Me: I just needed to know if you called ahead so I know if your file was made or not.
SC: Well...my dog has been coughing! I think she has kennel cough!
Me: ...

Yes. Kennel cough. Yes...it can get bad if it's left untreated for a long time. But we don't see that very often. However, if a dog does have kennel cough we usually ask our clients to take their dogs outside while we get a room setup for them because it is very contagious. During this time the lobby was filled with people and their dogs.

Me: Okay...I'm going to have to ask that you take your dog outside because kennel cough is very contagious.
SC: I don't even know if it's kennel cough.

So I get her information. We haven't seen the dog in a couple of years. The entire time I'm checking her in she keeps repeatedly saying that she will never adopt an older dog again. Ever. She also keeps talking about how this may be it. They may have to euthanize.

Me: Alright. There is going to be a wait since our doctors are in with their appointments.
SC: How long? Half a day? Full day?
Me: Not that long. However it could be about 30 minutes. I still ask that you take your dog outside to be on the safe side. Kennel cough is very contagious and I don't want any other dogs catching it if it is kennel cough.
SC: I will need water! I wasn't expecting this. My dog is a husky and she has thick fur.

It's in the lower 50s. However, I go to the back and bring some water out to her dog. I also inform the doctor. They get her into a room pretty quickly. She's in there for a while. And my CW gets to check her out. As it turns out...the dog had been coughing like this for two weeks. And no...they didn't have to euthanize.

I want to lock the door
Sometimes we have kids who like to play with the handicap button to make the door open. It gets irritating after a while. Today we had kids climbing all over the benches and pushing the stupid button while the parents ignored it. CW had to yell at them at one point because they were climbing on things that shouldn't be climbed on. As for the door...part of me wishes I had a button that can lock our front doors from the desk. Is it bad I want to see their frustrated faces when the door won't open?

Oh well. I can dream.

[dalesys]

...part of me wishes I had a button that can lock our front doors from the desk...

And identify them by their noseprint...

[Mr Hero]

She was old enough to walk but not quite constructing full sentences yet. I don't know if that gives anyone an idea on age or not.

Not a very good indicator of age at all. There are grown adults who still don't use full sentences.

[Squeaksmyalias]

*hugs tightly* oh I understand your pain all too well.

I'm happy that a fight didn't break out with the kid holding the leash. I've seen that before. I'm not a tall girl but I made a BIG 6 foot somethin' owner cower once the fight was broken up. I don't see him ever letting his kid hold a leash again dog attached or not.

[Mnemjian]

As it turns out...the dog had been coughing like this for two weeks.

But she couldn't come in any sooner? And once she does get around to it, it's a BIG EMERGENCY OMG. I feel bad for her poor dog... not to mention all of the other dogs that could have been infected by her self-importance

[RayvenQ]

And no...they didn't have to euthanize.

Which is a pity, as I'm sure the dog would have been Ecstatic when you euthanised its owner

[Sunsetsky]

Not a very good indicator of age at all. There are grown adults who still don't use full sentences.

You got me there. X_x

I'm happy that a fight didn't break out with the kid holding the leash.

That's happened once before! I was off work when this happened but two clients were in the lobby. One had her dog on the scale and the other was at the counter checking in. The dog on the scale was a bit dog aggressive so the owner was holding onto him tightly while she weighed him. The idiot checking in at the counter had her puppy on an extendable leash and didn't have it locked. The puppy wandered up to the other dog and a small fight broke out. Someone had to throw water on both the dogs to get them to back off. It didn't last long and there were a couple of lacerations but it wasn't anything serious. One of our doctors looked at both of the dogs and cleaned them up without charging them.

Well...the idiot that let her puppy wander around on the extendable leash sued the other client. She said it brought back terrible memories of when she was attacked by a dog three months ago. She also claimed that she was holding her dog tightly. The counter and the scale are easily about...10 to 12 feet away so I scream bullshit with that. Some of the girls I work with offered to vouch for the client being sued because she didn't do anything wrong at all. She kept her dog away from other dogs and she was doing what she had to do. We needed a weight on the dog so she was weighing him while having him tightly on a leash.

Idiot owner ended up coming to an agreement with the other owner. The other owner's dog now has to wear a muzzle out in public (he looks like Hannibal when he comes in). At least he wasn't euthanized but it still ticks me off. The idiot has come back since then and did the same thing, let her puppy run around and he even peed on one of our small trees in the lobby while she was at the counter checking out. And the tree is even further away from the counter then the damn scale. >: ( Apparently the moron hasn't learned her lesson. I haven't seen her in a while but if she comes back in and pulls the same shit I may say something.

But she couldn't come in any sooner? And once she does get around to it, it's a BIG EMERGENCY OMG. I feel bad for her poor dog... not to mention all of the other dogs that could have been infected by her self-importance

Oh! I forgot to add. It turned out that it wasn't kennel cough after all. I think the dog just had some throat irritation or something. He just needed some antibiotics. So he didn't have anything contagious afterall. But you can never be too careful.

[Squeaksmyalias]

I had it happen at a doggy social hour at a dog bakery guy was letting his dog wander with the kid attached, he was already on everyone's nerves since the dog was marking all over and he wasn't bothering to clean up. The dog went up to a very nice dog but got into his face way to fast. I've never seen people move so fast, to grab the kid. Father went to hollar at the responsible owner but got to chat with me instead.
That's the beauty of doggy social hours, the people that run it don't have to worry about saying anything to SCs since there is at least one person there to do the talking.

[jedimaster91]

There's a girl on my cul-de-sac that's always asking to walk my dogs. And I always tell her no. Ziggy's pretty good on a leash, but I wouldn't put it past her to take off after a squirrel or rabbit if someone unfamiliar to her was on the other end of the leash. Tag is still learning to walk nicely on a leash with his Gentle Leader, and there are times I can barely hold on to him. I also don't completely trust him if another dog were to cross his path. I don't think he's dog aggressive, just scared--especially if the other dog comes rushing up to him--and he growls sometimes. I'm sure as heck not letting a 10-yr old I barely know walk a dog I have trouble handling.

[Sunsetsky]

UPDATE:

So the moron with the toddler and the basset hound called yesterday.

SC: I came in on Tuesday with my dog for shots. Well he has diarrhea now. I want in today.

She called at 3:30 and we close at 5:30...

Me: Okay. Has the diarrhea been going on since Tuesday?
SC: Yes.
Me: Well...is the dog still eating and drinking well?
SC: Yes.
Me: Well...since your dog is still eating and drinking well then I just recommend dropping off a fecal sample. We can take a look at it and just send some medication home.

And we won't have to charge them an exam fee.

SC: No. I want a doctor to take a look at him.
Me: Well ma'am, we filled in all of our emergency slots this morning.

And you're calling us close to CLOSING TIME.

SC: Look. I'm worried about my dog I want in.
Me: And I understand that ma'am. However I can't put you in a time that we don't have because we are booked up so I have to have a doctor call you back.
SC: You do that.

I leave a note for the doctor and a tech calls her back and tells her to bring the dog in before 5. I bet you can all see how this is going. At 5:20 (aka ten minutes before close) the morons husband arrives and he's just as stupid as she is.

SH (stupid husband): Yea. I was supposed to be here by five but I couldn't make it until now.

We look through the fecal and give him a bunch of medication. Meanwhile we have three other idiots in the lobby who decide to come pick up their pets AFTER CLOSING TIME. SH is going in and out of the building even after I locked the doors. I go to the back to inform the girls another dumbass is here for their pet (15 min after closing of course) and when I come back to the lobby the idiot picking up her pet is ignoring the SH's knocking on the door to get back in for his dog.

SH's dog has been howling and barking the entire time and SH has been muttering about "that damn dog." Really? Why don't people research what type of dogs they get? Basset's aren't normally quiet dogs. You can train them of course but I doubt this idiot and his stupid wife were.

[RayvenQ]

My friend used to have 2 Labradors/Golden Retrievers and by god I don't know how she managed to take them both for a walk at the same time. I held the leashes for her once and they took me for a walk

[ottid]

Oh, I'm sure it wouldn't be too bad, try taking a LARGE German Shephard. Sadly I will no longer see Mr. Bear, my dad and his partner broke up, and even though they got the dog together, paid jointly for bills etc, and Dad did most of the training and walking, she said that because her name is on the adoption certificate Mr. Bear belongs to her. I wanna know what the council records say, but I don't think that will change her mind

[DGoddessChardonnay]

My friend used to have 2 Labradors/Golden Retrievers and by god I don't know how she managed to take them both for a walk at the same time. I held the leashes for her once and they took me for a walk

They do. I have 3 of them and my brother is better at handling them than I am (and right now, I really can't have them tugging on me as my right shoulder is still a bit buggy w/tendonitis.) We have 2 that love to walk, but because one of them is so much bigger than the other (imagine a 170 lb miniature horse and that'll probably be Buddy Sr) he has to walk them one at a time. He ends up walking my brother all over the yard.

Bubba Bailey is actually pretty good . . . unless I'm out on the porch and then he'll want to come up onto the porch to visit. Either way, he's got my brother trained too.

Of course, Buddy Jr. for some unknown reason refuses to leave the lot and will sit down right outside the fence and will not budge for anything unless it's to be let back into the lot. According to his paperwork he's purebred Retriever, but I think he's just part jackass.