So, there are some days when my job is not so much fun. We all have those days.... days when nothing seems to go quite right. Days when you are so busy you don't even have time to pee or eat or take care of patients and clients the way you'd like or have the time to really think about cases before deciding what to do to help them. Ok, I guess not EVERYONE has days like that. But I do. And then there are some days that I just exclaim that I have THE best job on the planet. Something happens that lets me peek into another part of this big world we live in and experience some real, true.... joy. Usually I have one of these days or the other - or something in between - but today was both extremes in one.
:)
I woke up tired. I woke up grumpy. But, I tried to put my best foot forward despite these setbacks. But I was not perky. I had some surgeries this morning to tend to, no real hassle there. But Dr. Nice is out of the office (his baby daughter was born yesterday!!!) and Dr. B was out doing a herd check so it was just me in the office. This is not a new situation for me - it is no cause for panic. But it just seemed like everything broke loose all at once. I had a litter of 7 Boxer pups to remove tails on, I had a cat that I needed to extract 3 NOT LOOSE teeth on (this is very difficult, people!) and I had a scheduled 11:30 'appointment', a scheduled 'work in' 11:30 appointment, AND a 'walk in' 11:30 - they all showed up at the same time. I had to stop working on the puppies to pull the teeth and I just had to keep people waiting cause I could only be in one place at a time. Sigh.
My 'appointment' was routine vaccines - quick and easy, nice and breezy. My 'walk in' was a cat that was coughing - and I was told before I entered the room that the owner had said that the cat 'thought he {the cat!} was a doctor' because her finger had been hurting and the cat bit her right where it was hurting. I shook my head and smiled and in we went.... our visit was pleasant enough and we fixed things up (I hope!) but it just made me realize that it takes all kinds to make the world go round. My 'work in' was a 22 year old cat with owners who were struggling with the decision to put her to sleep. I never try to appear rushed with these clients. It's one of the hardest times for owners - they love their pet, but they don't want them to suffer. It's my job to help them come the right decision for them and their specific pet and then guide them through the process. It's actually something I think I'm quite good at.... but it always makes me a little sad.
But I am not allowed to dwell in the sad place - there are too many things to do. I had a dog that had been in labor all night with one puppy still inside of her to try and help. I had given her injections to help with her contractions and she passed out a lot of NASTY fluid - NASTY, GROSS, STUNK UP MY HOSPITAL fluid - but no puppy. There was only one option left, and that was to do a c-section. The owners didn't want to for financial reasons, so they came to take her home so she could die (they'll probably shoot her once she gets sick enough.) But that is very frustrating. I can FIX her - but I am not allowed to try. :( There are so many things I CAN'T fix that it is excrutiating when I'm not allowed to fix the things I am able to. Rargh.
I have back to back appointments and in the middle of them I am met with a jewel of a man who helped me to laugh through the rest of my day. He is an older man, and he has a young cat that has bumps and hair loss on its ears. Looks like sunburn to me - so I ask him if the cat spends much time outdoors? He replied that the cat goes in and out but always watches TV with him in the afternoon. I playfully asked him what the cat's favorite show is and he replies with no hesitation "Beverly Hills." I ask "The Beverly Hillbillies?" He says, "No. Beverly Hills 90210 - comes on every afternoon from 5-7 on the Soap channel." WHAT?!? This guy is in his 80's and he watches the Soap channel? :) He proceeds to then fill us in on the actual ages of the actors on the show when it was filmed because they talk about them now in STAR magazine and it tells how old they are now and the show was filmed in 1992 (or whatever) and if "you do the math" you know that they were not teenagers but actually in their 20's during the show. :) He proceeded to tell us all kinds of things - he likes numbers - for I now know that from his house to somewhere in Alabama it is 651 miles and his old cat rode in the back of truck the whole way. Not 650 miles. I asked him to clarify. 651. :) Such a precious man.
Now we are getting to the good stuff. I got a call that there was a cow having trouble calving in a town about 45 minutes away and that I would need to bring my dart gun for they had no way of catching the cow. I load up with Sarah (4th year vet student who's here with us for 3 weeks) and Becky (a receptionist at our clinic who wants to go to vet school) the dart gun, and my lunch (2:30pm) and head out. We get to the house - and no one is there. We wait 30 minutes and the owners finally show up. (We had called to say that we were on our way....) No apologies for being late. We drive to a pasture where she was last seen - we drive around - she is not to be found. We then drive to another pasture and we see her. I load up the dart gun (after a brief phone instruction conversation with Dr. B on how to change the CO2 cartridge) and walk towards her. She bolts. She bolts into the previous pasture. The owner tells us to drive back around there and they will bring the rest of the herd and some food and try to get her to stand still so I can shoot her with the dart. We drive over to the other field - I already have a dart in the gun - so I get the bright idea.....
I'll shoot her from the truck!!!!
And I did. :)
I felt like.... oh, I don't know..... some kind of illegal hunter shooting a deer from a vehicle. But I had different prey - I was hunting.... COW!!!!
I drove up to her with my window down and my dart gun rifle across my legs (the end of the barrel hanging out the window.) She's not as scared of the truck as she was me on foot. This was good. I drove slowly and stealthly near her, slowed to a stop, then POW!!! A perfect shot to her hind quarters. One problem: the dart popped out. She got a little sedation, but not enough. Sigh. I loaded another dart and shot her - but I aimed a little too high and it sailed over her back. 3rd dart - direct hit. :) She got sleepy. She layed down. We tried to rope her to tie her to the truck but she got up and took off (adrenaline is a powerful thing.) I darted her again - beautiful shot. Perfection. She layed down. She got up and ran. She layed down - I put the chains of the calf's feet that were hanging out of her. She got up and ran again. I'm not liking this cow. She layed down - we got her roped - and we pulled the calf. The whole time this was going on, we could see the calf's tongue hanging out (which usually indicates a dead calf.) We pulled the calf quite quickly and the little bugger started breathing! His head and tongue were very swollen, but he was alive! It just made our day. Granted, it would have been more enjoyable if it hadn't taken 3 hours to get to this point... but it was great. It was a great experience for a soon to be doctor (never give up!) and a want to be vet (what could be better than this?!?)
Amongst the frustrations of this outing, we had to hold our laughter over one thing: the owner of the cow kept calling to her "Hannah! Come here Hannah!" She called even when the cow was so drunk she was tripping over herself, calling, quite expectantly, I believe, for the cow to come to her. "Hannah!" What was she going to do with her if she DID come to her?!? Hug her neck and make her stand still? We laugh. :) It takes all kinds.
Odd day. I love my job. :)
ps - next day update: the calf is alive and doing well. 'Hannah' won't have anything to do with this new baby, but the owner is bottle feeding it and he is nursing well. :)
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Thursday, August 10, 2006
The compassion story
So, when last I typed I was telling of my weekend. My weekend actually started on Wednesday night. We had a meeting at church to prepare for our three day mission trip at my church. Wednesday night's service was one of worship and mostly prayer for what God wanted to do in and through us over the next few days.
It's been quite a long time since I've prayed like that. It's been a long time since I've felt God stirring in my heart - trying desperately to say something to me.
He did.
A revelation occurred to me. I love organized missions. I love overseas mission trips. I love planning with other people to go and tell about Jesus' love - I get all excited. I love expecting God to do something, because we are asking and we are waiting for Him to move. And it has been my experience that when we are expecting Him to move, He allows us to see when He does.
The difference between a mission trip for me and my everyday life is that when I approach a mission trip - I prepare my heart through prayer and the Word. I also expect God to move. I do neither of these things on a daily basis anymore.
It had been so long since I'd dealt with God on day to day terms that I had forgotten what that looks like, what it feels like. I claim that my interaction with people through my profession is a ministry - and I believe that it is - but I have for so long been doing so on my own strength. I have no expectation of God doing anything, so I am unaware when He actually does.
Wednesday night as we prayed, my heart was softened. I felt more of that same compassion that I felt for the people with so many dogs.....(see previous post) I felt like God was imparting to me a bit of His heart. What a privilege.
Matt commented on how much He felt like the Spirit of God was there and working among us that night. I understood what he meant.
Our mission was simple. We were to spend the next 3 days doing renovations on a home owned by an older couple in our area. The husband, Wes, was very handy and had started a lot of projects on the house. They never got finished, however, because last July he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. They operated, but his health has been declining. The wife, Shirley, had let the chores of the house go undone as she cared for Wes. We came together as a team to bless them by doing the things that Wes wanted done. My church is full of carpenters and those skilled in home repair - they look for opportunities to use their skills to help others. This time I got to play along.
We arrived Thursday morning after meeting at the church as a team to spend time with God alone and to then come together to pray. We arrived at the work scene and quickly divided to do our jobs. I was a power-washer. I power washed all the decks and 2 sides of the house. For seven hours I power washed. :) It was great - like cleaning with power tools. At 10am or so, Shirley left the house to go a doctor's appointment of her own. She had not left Wes's side for weeks. Wes passed away shortly after she left. We stopped working. We got together and prayed. We then got back to work. We all felt so strongly that our presence there at this specific time was nothing short of Divine planning.
Shirley returned home and suddenly our work seemed so trivial. We had planned for months to do this work, but now it seemed almost wrong to do. Shirley asked that we continue. So we did. We got a lot done and I only pray that as we were there over the next few days our presence was a comfort to this family. I hope that as Shirley goes out and looks at her new yard and deck and water garden that Wes wanted her to have that the beauty and newness will comfort her.
We finished at the work site everyday around 3:30 and we then would go to the YMCA to take much needed showers. We would then go back to the church and eat supper then head to the local park. We had two teams at the park: a Kids Kamp (think VBS) for kids in the park and an evangelism team who went out to share the love of Christ with people hanging out in the park. The first night, Matt and I were in the Kids Kamp as 'parents' - our job was to talk with parents who had brought their kids to us and to act a literal parents to the young ones running around to ensure that all were safe and having a good time. It was a fun night and we had the kids from our church and several 'newbies.'
We went back to the church, shared our experiences, and then went to bed. I was in a room with about 10 teenage girls - but I slept great. :)
We were encouraged to know that God was indeed moving and working among us as we 'debriefed' that night. Two of our teenage kids went out to talk to some other teenagers in the park's skateboard area. The skaters asked our two where they went to high school. As Rachel said that she went to Grace Christian School, one of the skaters said "Man, I wish I could be a Christian!" Excuse me?!? That's not a normal response, folks. Our two shared the Gospel with this young man and he is indeed now a Christian believer. Woo Hoo!
Friday morning started at 6:30am to ensure that all of us got to spend time with God alone, then eat, then pray as a group. At the house was more work, more power washing for me and then lots of painting. Matt and I were to be evangelists that night at the park and we were paired up with different folks. I don't think I can explain ALL that happened but here's the breakdown:
Matt and Chris went and talked to some kids at the skate park. One, Danny, talked with Matt intently about some life issues. He was interested in talking about what being a believer is like, what it means. He had just come back from a Young Life camp and was encouraged by Matt.
Sara, Page, and myself appeared later at the skate park. We spoke with several kids: Josh, Kaitlin, and Jenny. A little into our conversation, Danny appeared. Danny then proclaimed to his friends that he was a Christian, how he became so, and began sharing the benefits of being a believer (righteousness, forgiveness, etc.) He spoke boldly and with confidence. Kaitlin was distant at first, but softened as we spoke with her. Josh was eager to listen and share his opinions. Josh and Kaitlin both spoke of how they have been treated by 'the church' - commenting that their opinions were not valued and that people were 'stuck up.' We listened with compassion - and they said that we could come back and talk with them about spiritual things anytime.
So cool!
Side story: I recently read a book called 'Blue Like Jazz' - and it has so made me reconsider how the church operates. It has made me think about how Jesus did things, how He loved people. And how the modern day church doesn't do a very good job with this. Things the author said kept coming to mind as I talked with these kids.
At debriefing that night we were so excited to hear each other's stories. We had no idea Matt had spoken with Danny - and Matt was thrilled to hear that the same guy he had spoken to who was unsure of his belief was now - 15 minutes later - sharing his faith boldly! THEN - we find out that Thursday night the teenage girls had all gotten together and prayed specifically for Kaitlin - for they know her because she used to attend the church when she was small but has since rejected the church. They had prayed that someone would be able to talk to her. It was quite amazing. I was convicted though about how much I talked, and how little I listened.
Saturday we were up early again - we spent time in the Word, ate, prayed, then went out to finish the work project - and it was just so great. We then spent the rest of the day in the park - and had a cook out. I was asked by two of our girls if I would go with them to the skate park to look for Kaitlin. We made our way over there, but she wasn't around. We decided to just hang out and talk with the kids and invite them to our cookout. They said they would come. ALL of them. Then Kaitlin arrived. And she also came to our cookout. Incredible. She does NOT like the church - and not only did she come to our 'church cookout' she brought friends. She then left, and came back with more!
Now, you need to understand that these kids fit the typical skater crowd. They are all dressed in black, have tattoos, long hair, piercings, speak in rough language, etc. Not the 'type' that would come to a church cookout, let alone feel comfortable doing so. But as we listened to them - heard their stories, their pain, their trials - they began to trust us. We behaved as if we liked them - as if we actually cared about them. And it was through HIS heart that we actually did! So they in turn came to eat with us. And we were able to care about them some more.
It was quite a sight seeing these 15 or so skater kids descend on our church picnic, but everyone welcomed them. We had some good, no great, conversations. And you know what? Some of them showed up at church the next day. :) And they heard how much God loves them and they heard how much trial and suffering He endured just so they could know Him and experience His love and forgiveness. They heard that He loves them just as they are - no exceptions.
It was one of the more unique mission trips I've taken. Though I didn't leave the country, I did leave my culture. My safe, normal, 'people like me' culture. And as usual, God did something in my heart.
I only pray that every day can be seen as a mission day to me. That I would prepare and expect. That I would be able to love people like Jesus did - especially those that are cast out and looked down upon by 'normal' society.
It's how He did it. And that's good enough for me.
Compassion is the key. Listening helps, too. :)
It's been quite a long time since I've prayed like that. It's been a long time since I've felt God stirring in my heart - trying desperately to say something to me.
He did.
A revelation occurred to me. I love organized missions. I love overseas mission trips. I love planning with other people to go and tell about Jesus' love - I get all excited. I love expecting God to do something, because we are asking and we are waiting for Him to move. And it has been my experience that when we are expecting Him to move, He allows us to see when He does.
The difference between a mission trip for me and my everyday life is that when I approach a mission trip - I prepare my heart through prayer and the Word. I also expect God to move. I do neither of these things on a daily basis anymore.
It had been so long since I'd dealt with God on day to day terms that I had forgotten what that looks like, what it feels like. I claim that my interaction with people through my profession is a ministry - and I believe that it is - but I have for so long been doing so on my own strength. I have no expectation of God doing anything, so I am unaware when He actually does.
Wednesday night as we prayed, my heart was softened. I felt more of that same compassion that I felt for the people with so many dogs.....(see previous post) I felt like God was imparting to me a bit of His heart. What a privilege.
Matt commented on how much He felt like the Spirit of God was there and working among us that night. I understood what he meant.
Our mission was simple. We were to spend the next 3 days doing renovations on a home owned by an older couple in our area. The husband, Wes, was very handy and had started a lot of projects on the house. They never got finished, however, because last July he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. They operated, but his health has been declining. The wife, Shirley, had let the chores of the house go undone as she cared for Wes. We came together as a team to bless them by doing the things that Wes wanted done. My church is full of carpenters and those skilled in home repair - they look for opportunities to use their skills to help others. This time I got to play along.
We arrived Thursday morning after meeting at the church as a team to spend time with God alone and to then come together to pray. We arrived at the work scene and quickly divided to do our jobs. I was a power-washer. I power washed all the decks and 2 sides of the house. For seven hours I power washed. :) It was great - like cleaning with power tools. At 10am or so, Shirley left the house to go a doctor's appointment of her own. She had not left Wes's side for weeks. Wes passed away shortly after she left. We stopped working. We got together and prayed. We then got back to work. We all felt so strongly that our presence there at this specific time was nothing short of Divine planning.
Shirley returned home and suddenly our work seemed so trivial. We had planned for months to do this work, but now it seemed almost wrong to do. Shirley asked that we continue. So we did. We got a lot done and I only pray that as we were there over the next few days our presence was a comfort to this family. I hope that as Shirley goes out and looks at her new yard and deck and water garden that Wes wanted her to have that the beauty and newness will comfort her.
We finished at the work site everyday around 3:30 and we then would go to the YMCA to take much needed showers. We would then go back to the church and eat supper then head to the local park. We had two teams at the park: a Kids Kamp (think VBS) for kids in the park and an evangelism team who went out to share the love of Christ with people hanging out in the park. The first night, Matt and I were in the Kids Kamp as 'parents' - our job was to talk with parents who had brought their kids to us and to act a literal parents to the young ones running around to ensure that all were safe and having a good time. It was a fun night and we had the kids from our church and several 'newbies.'
We went back to the church, shared our experiences, and then went to bed. I was in a room with about 10 teenage girls - but I slept great. :)
We were encouraged to know that God was indeed moving and working among us as we 'debriefed' that night. Two of our teenage kids went out to talk to some other teenagers in the park's skateboard area. The skaters asked our two where they went to high school. As Rachel said that she went to Grace Christian School, one of the skaters said "Man, I wish I could be a Christian!" Excuse me?!? That's not a normal response, folks. Our two shared the Gospel with this young man and he is indeed now a Christian believer. Woo Hoo!
Friday morning started at 6:30am to ensure that all of us got to spend time with God alone, then eat, then pray as a group. At the house was more work, more power washing for me and then lots of painting. Matt and I were to be evangelists that night at the park and we were paired up with different folks. I don't think I can explain ALL that happened but here's the breakdown:
Matt and Chris went and talked to some kids at the skate park. One, Danny, talked with Matt intently about some life issues. He was interested in talking about what being a believer is like, what it means. He had just come back from a Young Life camp and was encouraged by Matt.
Sara, Page, and myself appeared later at the skate park. We spoke with several kids: Josh, Kaitlin, and Jenny. A little into our conversation, Danny appeared. Danny then proclaimed to his friends that he was a Christian, how he became so, and began sharing the benefits of being a believer (righteousness, forgiveness, etc.) He spoke boldly and with confidence. Kaitlin was distant at first, but softened as we spoke with her. Josh was eager to listen and share his opinions. Josh and Kaitlin both spoke of how they have been treated by 'the church' - commenting that their opinions were not valued and that people were 'stuck up.' We listened with compassion - and they said that we could come back and talk with them about spiritual things anytime.
So cool!
Side story: I recently read a book called 'Blue Like Jazz' - and it has so made me reconsider how the church operates. It has made me think about how Jesus did things, how He loved people. And how the modern day church doesn't do a very good job with this. Things the author said kept coming to mind as I talked with these kids.
At debriefing that night we were so excited to hear each other's stories. We had no idea Matt had spoken with Danny - and Matt was thrilled to hear that the same guy he had spoken to who was unsure of his belief was now - 15 minutes later - sharing his faith boldly! THEN - we find out that Thursday night the teenage girls had all gotten together and prayed specifically for Kaitlin - for they know her because she used to attend the church when she was small but has since rejected the church. They had prayed that someone would be able to talk to her. It was quite amazing. I was convicted though about how much I talked, and how little I listened.
Saturday we were up early again - we spent time in the Word, ate, prayed, then went out to finish the work project - and it was just so great. We then spent the rest of the day in the park - and had a cook out. I was asked by two of our girls if I would go with them to the skate park to look for Kaitlin. We made our way over there, but she wasn't around. We decided to just hang out and talk with the kids and invite them to our cookout. They said they would come. ALL of them. Then Kaitlin arrived. And she also came to our cookout. Incredible. She does NOT like the church - and not only did she come to our 'church cookout' she brought friends. She then left, and came back with more!
Now, you need to understand that these kids fit the typical skater crowd. They are all dressed in black, have tattoos, long hair, piercings, speak in rough language, etc. Not the 'type' that would come to a church cookout, let alone feel comfortable doing so. But as we listened to them - heard their stories, their pain, their trials - they began to trust us. We behaved as if we liked them - as if we actually cared about them. And it was through HIS heart that we actually did! So they in turn came to eat with us. And we were able to care about them some more.
It was quite a sight seeing these 15 or so skater kids descend on our church picnic, but everyone welcomed them. We had some good, no great, conversations. And you know what? Some of them showed up at church the next day. :) And they heard how much God loves them and they heard how much trial and suffering He endured just so they could know Him and experience His love and forgiveness. They heard that He loves them just as they are - no exceptions.
It was one of the more unique mission trips I've taken. Though I didn't leave the country, I did leave my culture. My safe, normal, 'people like me' culture. And as usual, God did something in my heart.
I only pray that every day can be seen as a mission day to me. That I would prepare and expect. That I would be able to love people like Jesus did - especially those that are cast out and looked down upon by 'normal' society.
It's how He did it. And that's good enough for me.
Compassion is the key. Listening helps, too. :)
Sunday, August 06, 2006
The gift of text....
I was recently told I had the 'gift of text.' In short order, that means I write a lot. I also talk a lot. This past weekend, I did a lot of listening. Thought I would share with you my experiences (through my gift of text.) :)
It all started with an unusual house call. As a vet, I make a lot of farm calls to deal with cows, horses, etc, but I also make house calls for dogs and cats. The most common house call I make is generally to put someone's pet to sleep for them. Letting a beloved pet pass on in its own bed is comforting to a lot of people - the pet doesn't have to deal with the added stress of coming to the clinic. It's much harder emotionally on me and my staff going into the family's home, but it's a service that I'm proud we offer.
Sometimes we also make house calls to do routine vaccines for multiple pets - instead of owners having the hassle of bringing 4 or 5 pets to us, we go to them. I always take along a technician to assist me - owners are not allowed to hold their pets as I'm examining them or giving them injections. I don't like getting bit. My staff ensures that I don't get bit.
I am going somewhere with this - hang with me.
Last Wednesday I was asked to go on a house call to vaccinate twenty dogs. Yes, that right. Twenty. 20. I was asked to do this by our local animal control officer. You see, in our county, you are only allowed to have 4 dogs max unless you have a kennel license. In order to get a kennel license, all dogs have to be healthy, vaccinated, and licensed with the county. These dogs were healthy, but not vaccinated or licensed. So, they were in a bit of a panic to get them so or else the county would take them away. There were a myriad of phone calls to this owner from my clinic - and the long and short of it is that I knew I was heading into an unusual circumstance. They could not give me directions to their house. They could not tell us the names of all the dogs. They could not tell us what breed of dogs they were. The animal control officer (who is a good friend of mine) asked me to call him when I was leaving to go out there - he wanted to meet me there to ensure my safety. He described them as 'unusual people' and some of the dogs were very large and he feared, quite vicious. He means well, but sometimes he underestimates me. :)
We were told that some of the dogs (12, in fact) were chihuahuas. The rest were large mixed breed dogs. So, me, my technician Jenny, and my high school mentee student, Ashley loaded up with our rabies snare pole, multiple muzzles, leather gloves, and lots of vaccine to our unknown destination. We had an address, and thankfully, I was able to find my way there. (The animal control officer had been called away to another house and was unable to meet us.)
On the way to this call, I really fought the urge to make fun of these people. I knew that more than likely, we were going to encounter poverty and ignorance. I was convicted that this was not grounds for judgment. They had already had their life attacked by the law that day - it was not up to me to make their day worse by judging them. I was there to provide a service for their pets, and I made up my mind to do so with the same care and dignity I try to deliver with everyone.
We pulled up to the gate - and they did not open it for us. :) We got out and let ourselves in (they were standing there watching) and I went and introduced myself and my crew. I looked them in the eye, shook their hands firmly as I asked their names. I smiled at them. They smiled back. I was introduced to the ladies sister - and was told that she has dementia and might say strange things to us. I went and shook her hand. She smiled.
I was overcome with compassion before I even arrived at their house - that was not of me. It was this compassion that stayed with me for the next several days and is the subject of this blog. (Aren't you glad we are finally getting around to that?)
We vaccinated 12 healthy little chihuahuas - and didn't get bit once. For those of you who don't know this breed of dog, they are kindly referred to in the vet profession as 'land sharks' - they often bite. Their small size makes them difficult to restrain, but my Jenny is a master. I have to brag on one move she made for it was vet tech perfection! The owner was handing the little dogs to Jenny one by one. As she did so, some would try to bite her. In one particular instance, the dog turned quite quickly to bite Jenny on the hand that was trying to hold him. Jenny (in one of the more impressive moves I've ever seen) let go of him from underneath, and as he fell, she caught him by the back of the neck in a 'scruff.' This rendered his teeth unable to reach any of us. I then took his back legs and gave him his shot. It was so quick and so smooth - my mouth fell open. You can't teach skill like that, folks.
Jenny and Ashley followed my lead and were so kind and friendly to these folks. They were an older couple and they bickered back and forth as is they had been married for years. Turns out they were just boyfriend and girlfriend, but the manner in which they regarded each other told us they had been together a long time. It was quite amusing.
After the chihuahuas were done, we entered the bonus round: seven dogs of various breeds - all large - all chained to trees in the backyard. I was impressed with their health, the amount of shade provided to them, and how clean their limited surroundings were kept (no dog crap to be seen.) We had the owners muzzle them, and then Jenny would restrain them for me. One in particular gave us a bit of a fit - a 13 year old, 120lb Rottweiler. The owner kept telling us to go up and pet him on the head - but we knew from the look on the dog's face that to do so would result in us losing a limb. She muzzled him and as we approached him he began to growl fiercely. She said "Oh, he doesn't like that muzzle, I think he'd do better if we took it off." Jenny and I remarked in unison "no!" - we'll leave it on, thank you very much. :) Jenny practically sat on him and he took his shot bravely.
I really am rambling at this point, but I have to remark on one more thing. After we were done, I did my normal chatting with the owners just to be polite and caring. The gentlemen took the opportunity to ask me a question. He asked me (straight faced and serious) why the female dogs only had puppies every 3-4 years (as opposed to yearly) - then remarked that they always kept the males away from them unless the males broke their chains.
Did you catch that?
I asked him if the female dogs appeared to be cycling - coming into heat (swelling and bloody discharge from the rear end) every six months or so like normal? He said they were - but then remarked AGAIN that they always kept the male dogs away from them.
I gently explained how dog reproduction works. The males have to breed WITH the females when they are in heat to make puppies. I really did want to come up with some other story as not to encourage them to breed even more, but I am not quick enough for that. He seemed to understand what I was saying and thanked me. We said our good-bye's and left.
I talked with Jenny and Ashley on the way home, we chuckled a bit about that last comment. We wondered if they had any children. :) But then I talked about how important education is - it is evident that these two missed out. We don't know what life circumstances they had to endure as young people. Our blessing is that we were able to be educated - and well - in our life. I felt warm fuzzies for them for the care they provided to her sister. They didn't have to do that - they could have the state take care of her. But they do it. I'm sure it's not easy, but they do it anyway. They are poor, they are uneducated, but they take care of their own.
It's a good lesson.
I learned more good lessons as the weekend went on - next blog, please. The compassion story does continue.
It all started with an unusual house call. As a vet, I make a lot of farm calls to deal with cows, horses, etc, but I also make house calls for dogs and cats. The most common house call I make is generally to put someone's pet to sleep for them. Letting a beloved pet pass on in its own bed is comforting to a lot of people - the pet doesn't have to deal with the added stress of coming to the clinic. It's much harder emotionally on me and my staff going into the family's home, but it's a service that I'm proud we offer.
Sometimes we also make house calls to do routine vaccines for multiple pets - instead of owners having the hassle of bringing 4 or 5 pets to us, we go to them. I always take along a technician to assist me - owners are not allowed to hold their pets as I'm examining them or giving them injections. I don't like getting bit. My staff ensures that I don't get bit.
I am going somewhere with this - hang with me.
Last Wednesday I was asked to go on a house call to vaccinate twenty dogs. Yes, that right. Twenty. 20. I was asked to do this by our local animal control officer. You see, in our county, you are only allowed to have 4 dogs max unless you have a kennel license. In order to get a kennel license, all dogs have to be healthy, vaccinated, and licensed with the county. These dogs were healthy, but not vaccinated or licensed. So, they were in a bit of a panic to get them so or else the county would take them away. There were a myriad of phone calls to this owner from my clinic - and the long and short of it is that I knew I was heading into an unusual circumstance. They could not give me directions to their house. They could not tell us the names of all the dogs. They could not tell us what breed of dogs they were. The animal control officer (who is a good friend of mine) asked me to call him when I was leaving to go out there - he wanted to meet me there to ensure my safety. He described them as 'unusual people' and some of the dogs were very large and he feared, quite vicious. He means well, but sometimes he underestimates me. :)
We were told that some of the dogs (12, in fact) were chihuahuas. The rest were large mixed breed dogs. So, me, my technician Jenny, and my high school mentee student, Ashley loaded up with our rabies snare pole, multiple muzzles, leather gloves, and lots of vaccine to our unknown destination. We had an address, and thankfully, I was able to find my way there. (The animal control officer had been called away to another house and was unable to meet us.)
On the way to this call, I really fought the urge to make fun of these people. I knew that more than likely, we were going to encounter poverty and ignorance. I was convicted that this was not grounds for judgment. They had already had their life attacked by the law that day - it was not up to me to make their day worse by judging them. I was there to provide a service for their pets, and I made up my mind to do so with the same care and dignity I try to deliver with everyone.
We pulled up to the gate - and they did not open it for us. :) We got out and let ourselves in (they were standing there watching) and I went and introduced myself and my crew. I looked them in the eye, shook their hands firmly as I asked their names. I smiled at them. They smiled back. I was introduced to the ladies sister - and was told that she has dementia and might say strange things to us. I went and shook her hand. She smiled.
I was overcome with compassion before I even arrived at their house - that was not of me. It was this compassion that stayed with me for the next several days and is the subject of this blog. (Aren't you glad we are finally getting around to that?)
We vaccinated 12 healthy little chihuahuas - and didn't get bit once. For those of you who don't know this breed of dog, they are kindly referred to in the vet profession as 'land sharks' - they often bite. Their small size makes them difficult to restrain, but my Jenny is a master. I have to brag on one move she made for it was vet tech perfection! The owner was handing the little dogs to Jenny one by one. As she did so, some would try to bite her. In one particular instance, the dog turned quite quickly to bite Jenny on the hand that was trying to hold him. Jenny (in one of the more impressive moves I've ever seen) let go of him from underneath, and as he fell, she caught him by the back of the neck in a 'scruff.' This rendered his teeth unable to reach any of us. I then took his back legs and gave him his shot. It was so quick and so smooth - my mouth fell open. You can't teach skill like that, folks.
Jenny and Ashley followed my lead and were so kind and friendly to these folks. They were an older couple and they bickered back and forth as is they had been married for years. Turns out they were just boyfriend and girlfriend, but the manner in which they regarded each other told us they had been together a long time. It was quite amusing.
After the chihuahuas were done, we entered the bonus round: seven dogs of various breeds - all large - all chained to trees in the backyard. I was impressed with their health, the amount of shade provided to them, and how clean their limited surroundings were kept (no dog crap to be seen.) We had the owners muzzle them, and then Jenny would restrain them for me. One in particular gave us a bit of a fit - a 13 year old, 120lb Rottweiler. The owner kept telling us to go up and pet him on the head - but we knew from the look on the dog's face that to do so would result in us losing a limb. She muzzled him and as we approached him he began to growl fiercely. She said "Oh, he doesn't like that muzzle, I think he'd do better if we took it off." Jenny and I remarked in unison "no!" - we'll leave it on, thank you very much. :) Jenny practically sat on him and he took his shot bravely.
I really am rambling at this point, but I have to remark on one more thing. After we were done, I did my normal chatting with the owners just to be polite and caring. The gentlemen took the opportunity to ask me a question. He asked me (straight faced and serious) why the female dogs only had puppies every 3-4 years (as opposed to yearly) - then remarked that they always kept the males away from them unless the males broke their chains.
Did you catch that?
I asked him if the female dogs appeared to be cycling - coming into heat (swelling and bloody discharge from the rear end) every six months or so like normal? He said they were - but then remarked AGAIN that they always kept the male dogs away from them.
I gently explained how dog reproduction works. The males have to breed WITH the females when they are in heat to make puppies. I really did want to come up with some other story as not to encourage them to breed even more, but I am not quick enough for that. He seemed to understand what I was saying and thanked me. We said our good-bye's and left.
I talked with Jenny and Ashley on the way home, we chuckled a bit about that last comment. We wondered if they had any children. :) But then I talked about how important education is - it is evident that these two missed out. We don't know what life circumstances they had to endure as young people. Our blessing is that we were able to be educated - and well - in our life. I felt warm fuzzies for them for the care they provided to her sister. They didn't have to do that - they could have the state take care of her. But they do it. I'm sure it's not easy, but they do it anyway. They are poor, they are uneducated, but they take care of their own.
It's a good lesson.
I learned more good lessons as the weekend went on - next blog, please. The compassion story does continue.
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