Day 120
For those of you who don’t know my pet situation – it is many … and quasi varied. I have two cats, two Pugs and one Lab. And for those of you who have ever seen Moby, the Lab, you would know with one look, if you knew anything about dogs that she is all Lab. Plain and simple.
Last Friday Mobes and I had an appointment at a new vet in town to have a hot spot on Mobes’ face looked at. It was a disappointing and expensive visit … and we will NOT be returning … but it did make for a good story.
I walked in, with Mobes, and said hi to the receptionist – who greeted me cheerily with an enthusiastic, “Hi!” I said who we were and that we were here for Moby’s 4pm appointment. She said a vet tech would be with me shortly.
And sure enough … a vet tech whisked the dog and I back to room number 3 where she proceeded to ask me if I was there to PICK UP Moby. I’m thinking – physically lift her? – to which I responded, “She’s here with me. THIS is Moby.” The vet tech turned and made a little “OH” noise as if the dog had just materialized before her very eyes. She laughed and said that this was weird because they had ANOTHER Moby in at that time and the dogs looked the same and I looked so much like the other owner. Okay, yes, that was weird.
It gets weirder.
I go back out front where the receptionist promptly greets me with an enthusiastic, “Hi!”… like she had no recollection of seeing me 86 seconds earlier. She then said she needed info on the dog. Fine.
As she looked at us she asked me what kind of dog Moby was and since the dog was about 3 feet from her, I thought surely she could surmise this tidbit of information on her own. I thought she was kidding. I then said, “A Lab.” And she mulled it over for a bit and responded, “A Lab? Oh, you mean a Labrador.” To which I responded, “Yes, you twit, a Labrador.” No, I really didn’t say that – but I wanted to! I merely said, “Yes.”
She then asked me the dog’s color. To which I incredulously said, “Excuse me?” The woman was standing so close to us both that she could have touched Moby. Was she BLIND? I responded (a little snarkily), “YELLOW.” To which Einstein said back, “Yellow? A Yellow Lab? I don’t think so. She looks GOLDEN to me. I think she’s a GOLDEN RETRIEVER.”
The (same) vet tech was coming into the area and looked over the counter at Moby and concurred with the receptionist that, “Yes, I’m pretty sure she’s a Golden Retriever.” To which I said, “LADIES! She is NOT a Golden Retriever. She is a Yellow Lab!”
At this point I was wondering if I should just leave.
The vet tech looked at me and then looked at the receptionist and said to her, “Okay (while rolling her eyes and using finger quotes) … put her down as a “Yellow Lab.” Like I was some sort of idiot/buffoon!
Well, at that point the owners of the OTHER Moby walked in … a man and a rather large lady (she probably had a good 100 pounds on me) with a platinum blonde poodle-hairdo. REALLY? This woman and I looked so much alike? These employees were not just stupid they were not very observant!
One look at the couple walking in and I knew they were there to put down their dog. THEIR Moby. One can just tell … or sense this. And indeed that is what they were doing. That couple was led to the back, while Mobes and I were still standing at the front desk, and the receptionist then turned to me and said, “They’re not staying.” And I said, “EXCUSE ME?” And the girl, kind of shook her head and looked at me and said, “Oh, I thought you were the doctor standing there.” WHAT???
So, just because Mobes’ face looked so awful we saw the doctor – but I didn’t let the dog OUT OF MY SIGHT (thinking what if they MIXED THEM UP and put MY dog down instead? Since they couldn’t tell a Golden Retriever from a Yellow Lab?!)
In any case – Mobes now has antibios and some salve and her face is looking better. And if anyone asks me, in the future, what kind of dog she is I think I’ll just tell them she’s a black Poodle and see what kind of response I get!