Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Some Days Are Just Like That

Indy, our older Weimaraner (picture in sidebar), started limping yesterday and his right front foot began to swell. He'd had a foot infection in one of his other feet last year so I figured it's probably the same thing. Had to get up at 5:00 a.m. to take my grandson to work so I could have the truck to take him (Indy, not the grandson) to the vet. Got home and went back to bed for a little while.

Tried calling the vet about 8:00 and got their answering machine that says their office hours are between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. I've learned from past experiences not to leave a message because they won't return it. Tried every 15 minutes, finally reaching them about 9:00. I was told to bring him in about 9:45 and they'd squeeze me in. The vet's office is a little more than 45 min. away and I hadn't completed all my barn chores yet. I hurriedly finished up and scooted out of here, arriving there about 9:55. Waited about 40 min. in the waiting room with a VERY talkative teenage girl and her boyfriend who was taking cellphone pictures (the girl, not the boyfriend) of all the animals that came in, and showing me all the pictures she's taken of her pets for the past 10 years (well, probably not that long but it seemed like it). Then in comes a woman with a young daughter and a large and VERY unruly young boxer named Junior who she was about choking to death trying to keep him off everyone. "Junior, come back here. Junior just wants to play. Junior, don't jump on the lady. Junior, don't eat that cat." To top off the whole experience, the vet's office has a couple of resident cats, one of which loves to parade around in the hallway in full view of all the dogs. Now to Indy this is like someone waving a juicy steak in front of a starving man. But other than his whole body being as rigid as a steel girder and trembling uncontrollably in anticipation that the cat might get close enough for him to scoff it down, he laid obediently at my feet. Finally got to see the vet for 5 min. who agreed it was probably the same cellulitis problem as last time and gave me a prescription - $58.

Put Indy in the truck, went back in to pay. By this time the unruly boxer was about climbing the walls, choking on his collar so hard he was hacking up all over the place. He even tried to eat one of my shoes - while it was still on my foot! Finished paying, went back out to the truck, started backing out of my very crowded spot in a very small parking lot and BANG! Turned a little too sharp and ended up clipping the fender of a gray car parked next to me. Nothing major, just a small dent and a scratch as you can see in the photo.

I went back into the vet's waiting room and asked "Who owns the gray car parked on the end with the license plate 'Big Gun'?" (Yeah, I know - never hit a gunmetal gray car that says Big Gun on the plate. LOL) Guess who - Ms. Boxer! She became as anxious as her nutty dog, and began fretting about needing to leave on vacation for FL tomorrow and not knowing what to do. I tried explaining to her it was just a little scratch, nothing major. But if she'd had a collar on I swear she'd have been choking herself like her dog did.

Out she comes, dragging her obnoxious dog who, by this time, has his tongue hanging out one side, eyes bulging, and is covered in drool, her daughter following behind. She surveys the slight damage to her car, grabs her cellphone and calls her insurance company right there on the spot, all the while worried about her vacation, and the unruly dog trying his best to dislocate her shoulder. I give her and her insurance agent all my information. And because of my DIL and her example of taking pictures of everything so she can put it on her blog I happened to have my camera with me. I took pictures of her car and the bumper of my truck, which had no damage, only a little paint from her car rubbed on it. I sincerely hope the woman, her daughter, and her crazy dog have a great vacation. And most definitely an uneventful one.

Please leave your comment below. I really enjoy reading them.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed the story as much as the picture. Why don't vets have special rooms for unrully pets??? They could all go after each other at the same time! Sorry for your run in -- pun pun lol

Anonymous said...

and it wasn't even a Monday.........

Melanie said...

I will take that as a compliment.

See, aren't you glad you had the camera?

Just think when she was driving home, and wrestling with the dog, and went off the ditch, and hit the tree, and smashed the grill-she now can't blame you...

ALWAYS take the camera, life must be recorded-THOSE days and all;)

Thanks for sharing!

A New England Life said...

What a morning! Did the woman think one little scratch would mess up her whole vacation? She's a little nutty.

I can certainly relate to days like that. Hopefully Indy will heal up quickly!

Andrea said...

Folks like that just make you wonder what it must be like at home.

It sounds like you and Indy were able to maintain your cool. A bit chocolate is in order I think. Hope Indy is on the mend.

Anonymous said...

That is cute! Love your site! Lorna : )

Heather said...

Don't you just hate things like this? You were just trying to keep your cool and get your dog taken care of and then life hands you this! Seriously hope she calms down.

I was once backing out of a driveway onto a residential street and the people across were having a huge party. They had parked up both sides of the stree (not all leagally) and it was very narrow. In trying to clear one car to turn I backed into the one right across from the driveway. I backed so slowly that it just pushed it in a tiny little bit and not even the paint was scratched (on either car). I knocked and the lady was hysterical when she came to the door. She called the cops, her husband and her insurance. I was in tears by then and just kept apologizing (I was 19 when this happened). She just kept asking me why I did it...are you kidding? Then the cop started giving me a hard time. I started crying and I think he finally realized I had BARELY hit her, the street was WAY overcrowded, I had knocked and reported it (could have easily left) and I was a kid. He finally admitted that we carry insurance to cover accidents like this and that this was pretty minor all in all.

Sometimes people need to chill out, especially about vehicles. Its not like you ran over her crazy dog! :) Sounds like she needed a vacation pretty badly!

I agree that chocolate is important on days like this.

Been lurking for awhile and enjoy your blog.
Heather

An English Shepherd said...

Great story how honest of you to go back and tell her.

Sounds like she didn’t deserve it ;-)

Wow Heather how horrible, the police where we live do not come out for that sort of thing. She would be told off for waiting police time.

Wizz :-)