I know we’re in a healthcare crisis but….

by | Thursday | November 19, 2009 | 20 comments

tennielI can’t say I wasn’t expecting it, since my technician warned me it would happen, but it still caught me off guard when a client pulled a picture of her toddler out of her purse and asked me if said toddler was allergic to her dog.

I peered at the picture of her daughter. It was a photo of a typical looking girl, no eyes swollen shut, nothing out of the ordinary. “Well,” I said hesitantly, “You need to ask your pediatrician.” She looked blankly at me. “If it’s a concern for you, there are tests that can be done.”

“Oh, it’s not a concern for me,” she said breezily. “My dad is convinced that she’s allergic to the dog and I need to get rid of it.”

“Based on what?” I asked.

“Pictures,” she said. “My husband wants me to get rid of the dog too, because it peed on his chair.”

I’m not even sure where to start with this one. “Well, your dog had a urinary tract infection, which we treated, and you said the dog isn’t urinating in the house anymore.” She nodded. “Is your daughter exhibiting any signs of allergies?” Shake. “Have you even spoken with your pediatrician?” Another shake.

“Can I get the name of some rescues?” was her next question. I told her I might know someone who would adopt her dog, since she was a really sweet and adorable pup. “Oh no,” she said emphatically. “I love my dog. I’d be heartbroken to get rid of her.” She clutched the dog to her chest, dog peering out at me from the depth of her owner’s bosom with a “I have no idea what’s going on either” expression.

I paused, lost in the Lewis-Carroll-esque meanderings of this conversation. “So, what exactly can I do for you today?”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “But I wanted the number of that dog rescue. And some Advantage.” Pause. “I just know my dad and my husband are hassling me and I really wanted to know if you thought my daughter looked allergic in her picture.” I looked again, to humor her, and just because she seemed to expect me to say something I added unhelpfully, “Cute kid.”

I assured her I had absolutely no clue about whether or not the child in the photo was allergic to the dog in the room. Truth be told I think the dog is the least of the problems in this picture, but that’s just me.

Filed: Daily Life
  • mrs.brent

    Sorry, but I wouldn’t get rid of my dogs for anyone or anything. My husband and I both agree, if our landlord knocked on our door tomorrow and said we had to get rid of our dogs or she would kick us out, we would start packing.
    …And she wouldn’t get that month’s rent.

    What really kills me are the ads you see on craigslist and in newspapers that advertise dog free to good home, with the reason being ‘moving, can’t take.’ Ummm, why the hell not?? There is absolutely no reason anyone shouldn’t be able to take their dog with them when they move. It’s called, FIND A PET FRIENDLY PROPERTY! Adopting a dog is a LIFETIME committment; they aren’t ‘things’ you keep around for fun and get rid of them when it’s convenient for you. They are living creatures you vowed to take care of and protect. That means forever. Sometimes there are good reasons to give up a dog, like aggression issues…but being too lazy to shell out a pet deposit is NOT an excuse.
    I don’t care how nice a place is, if they won’t let me have my dogs, I’m not living there.
    If you’re renting, be prepared for the consequence of a pet deposit every time you move. If you’re a homeowner you have no excuse for ‘not being able’ to keep your dog due to a move.
    Would you give up your kid if you had to pay a ‘kid deposit’? Probably not. Be responsible people. This is why so many shelters are overcrowded and thousands of innocent, healthy animals are put to sleep each year, because their owners get bored with them.
    Your dog wouldn’t give you up, why would you do that to him/her??
    People make me sick…this is why I love animals, they’re so much better than humans.

    • http://percycat.blogspot.com Alyssa

      This, exactly.
      Also, the people who post on Craigslist and say that they are looking for a kitten. And they are looking for one desperately. As if they don’t know that there are shelters overflowing with kittens and cats! They just don’t want to pay the adoption fee. (and then I suspect that they end up being the ones who give away their pet when they have an inconvenience.)

      In Alberta it is against the law to abandon an animal, but it’s a law with no teeth, and it isn’t really enforced, given how many strays and abandoned cats the local rescues take in.

    • wikith

      To play the devil’s advocate…
      Sometimes you really can’t bring the dog with you when you move. I’ve known people who have had to move back in with family due to loss of job, and the family did not want the pet. If you are relying on the generosity of others, you don’t get much room to argue.

      Other scenarios… Flying to your new home, in a season when the pet cannot fly; I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I could afford to board a pet for months and then fly them out. In the same vein, moving internationally, especially on short notice; perhaps there is not enough time to meet quarantine requirements. Moving to an expensive area; perhaps they simply do NOT HAVE the money not only for the pet deposit, or the pet rent, or simply the more expensive rent at the only places that accept pets (I know in my area all the lower-income housing does not allow pets, so I’m lucky I make enough to afford my more expensive apartment, plus monthly pet rent, plus the hefty deposit I had to fork over when we moved in).
      It’s nice to sit on a pedestal and believe there is no legitimate reason to give up a pet, but the reality is that sometimes you really truly cannot afford something, or cannot make it work logistically, and while in an ideal world that would mean you don’t take the new job, don’t move… in the real world things don’t always work like that. I agree that most people are really giving them up out of laziness/not wanting to pay extra/whatever instead of legitimate reasons… but legitimate reasons do exist. And as a note, there are families I WISH would give up their pet because when you can barely afford to feed yourself and your family, the dog gets short shrift and would probably be better off being rehomed.

      • http://puppynerd.blogspot.com puppynerd

        Thanks.

        We had a situation a few years ago where my husband’s company was considering transferring him to Germany for a few years (military consulting). We didn’t have pets at the time, and the thing fell through for other reasons, but I have no idea what we would have done if we did have a dog. We probably would have been in base housing, or a very small town. I think Germany has some pretty strict BSL as well.

        Back in the states, we actually bought a house because we could not find rentals that would accept dogs bigger than a corgi. We’re lucky we had the resources available to make that choice – most people certainly don’t. Even so, finding a house takes time – what would we have done with a dog in the intervening 9 months?

        (but yeah, the woman in the post sounds a little off her rocker)

  • http://annora.wordpress.com/ Tassia

    “Fluffys in great shape! Was there anything else I could help you with today?”

    “Yeah, I was wondering if you could take a look at this rash…”
    *pulls pants down*

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      I’ve had women pull their shirts up. More than once.

  • mrs.brent

    I get all my animals from shelters. Why go to a pet store and spend hundreds of dollars keeping puppy mills in business when you can spend a mere 50 to 100 dollars saving a life?? My Missy is the best 75 bucks and half tank of gas I ever spent.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      I was saving this for another post, but I had someone give me the most ridiculous argument the other day for not spaying her dog, which had to do with her dog being “better” than shelter dogs despite the fact that the dog was a standard mutt. It made zero sense.

  • Kim

    I don’t get it. While the child’s eyes/ears/nose may be reddened and puffy, it could be seasonal, dust mites, mold, etc. How on earth could you ascertain whether the child, if allergic to something, was allergic to the dog? Too often people blame pets for allergies. I remember when C was sick and the doctor blamed the cats who we’d had for 3 years. It defied logic particularly when it happened only after we turned on the heat. After allergy testing confirmed it was dust mites and mold (both of which our previously flooded apartment had), I wanted to go back to the doctor and say “in your face!” :p

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Or perhaps the fact that the carrier smelled of smoke? *sigh*

      • Kristyn

        Oh I hate that! You are holding the champagne colored poodle on the table and suddenly it hits with smell of a thousand stale cigarettes the Fluffy is actually supposed to be a white poodle…

  • mrs.brent

    Of course everyone thinks their dog is better than anyone else’s, it’s a mom thing, lol. But unless you are a certified breeder you should ALWAYS spay/neuter your pet…unless you want to be responsible for those puppies possibly being homeless and end up in a shelter by the time they’re a year old because the people that adopted them didn’t think they would chew on things.

  • Kristyn

    Oh I hate that! You are holding a champagne colored poodle on the table when suddenly it hits you with a wave of the smell of 10000 stale cigarettes that Fluffy is not a naturally champagne poodle, but indeed th poor girl once was white.

  • http://www.biscuitsbylambchop.com Annette Frey

    It’s puzzling why she thinks a rescue is a better option than an actual person someone knows adopting her dog. But then the whole thing is puzzling. Sigh.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      That was what was weird. After rebuffing my offer to get the name of the person interested in her dog because she really didn’t want to get rid of her, she again asked for the rescue number.

  • Tonya

    No words for this one! Makes absolutely no sense to me! I feel for the poor pup.

  • macula_densa

    I think the reason she wanted a rescue name was probably to appease her jerkish family members. Since it doesn’t sound as though she’s really intent on giving up the dog, she’s probably just doing something to tide them over. *rolls eyes* This lady is obviously very passive and doesn’t want to deal with conflict.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      I don’t know. If you had been there you would have understood. It was an extremely confusing conversation.

  • http://www.kimchicrafts.com kimchi

    whoa… that sounds like you were having one conversation and she was having another? crazy. i hope the dog makes it thru okay. can’t say much for the poor kid though…

  • mrs.brent

    stick up for your dog, lady!