Of Beagles,foo-foo dogs, and the universe being all mysterious and shit...
So, most likely I'll be talking to myself since LJ is even more deserted than the last time I remembered I had an account here, but its one of those days where I have Shit To Say and just need an outlet, even if no one is listening.
I used to breed/show/field trial dual purpose Beagles way back in what seems like another lifetime ago. The second of my (intended) brood bitches was Bunny, who was one of those dogs who had an impeccable pedigree but couldn't hunt a rabbit if it showed her a map, and wasn't quite show quality. In fact, I think she should have been born a toy poodle. Liked doing tricks, showing off, and generally felt she was here to be spoiled. We retired her @ 3yrs but decided to keep her on as a pet, and she became the unofficial Door Greeter to my puppy buyers. I mean, you couldn't take this dog outside without her cheering people up. She was only about 16lbs and 11.5", and no one really expected an adult Beagle to be that size. She got off her leash one time, ran down someone's driveway, and these two Very Musclebound tough guys working on a car were making a fuss over a dog in a pink tank top with cherries.
Anyway. She had a stroke about 2 weeks ago. She had apparently developed a heart murmur in her old age (15yrs) from an oral infection. It looked like she was recovering and, more importantly, wanted to get better. Basically, she was doing well until a few days ago, and early this morning took a turn for the worse. Suffice it to say that trying to get her seen by a local Vet has rekindled my hatred for the practitioners of that profession, but long story short, ended up walking her over to my regular Vet and demanded they treat the dying dog of someone who's been going to that animal hospital since they opened in 1994.
But here's the crazy thing. I don't have a car anymore, so I was carrying Bunny there - I made it about one block before a lady pulling up to the curb noticed I had a dog in my arms, and after asking what happened, offered to give me a lift to the Vet. It would only have been a 15 min walk, but she was stressed badly, so that was a literal lifesaver. She didn't know me from a hole in the wall, but was unbelievably friendly and supportive the entire way there. I was still stunned from that act of kindness while we were waiting outside (for well over an hour, while another walk in was seen without fuss and within a few minutes of arriving, I might add >:/ ) The vet tech on call was a real asshole, tbh. Several people had stopped by to give Bunny well wishes, and when she collapsed one woman gave her an actual piece of her clothing so she wouldn't have to lie on the ground - it was coming out both ends at that point, so I really couldn't hold her. One man prayed over her. Ok, so I'm an atheist, but even I can appreciate the sentiment. Another person came over and stayed with me for a good 20 minutes, probably longer. We were talking about the horrible experiences we've had with Vets and they offered to beat the vet tech up for me when he came out with the other walk in emergency case and helped her get the dog in her car after shrugging his shoulders and saying "oh, its tachycardia" when Bunny collapsed after waiting 45+ min outside. Then promptly went back in without informing the vet.
When she was finally taken in, thankfully the Vet was decent and agreed immediately with my wishes to have her immediately put down (the second tech I dealt with that night was another story that I just don't have the energy to get into, ugh), and she did eventually go peacefully.
It was a horrible night all around. I was beyond pissed that an obviously dying dog was made to wait for close to 1.5 hrs when the office was NOT busy, and other, much less critical walk in patients were taken in after a few minutes and no arguments about appointments while Bunny had literally collapsed on the sidewalk and was letting out actual screams at random intervals. I'd be livid if it wasn't for the incredible kindness of close to a dozen people I met tonight who helped me and this dog in some way. A group even got angry with the vet tech and started banging on the door and yelling "help" when she first went down. I'm 40 years old and have never in my life witnessed other human beings display so much compassion to one person at a single time. Basically, I've never seen anything like it, and am astounded at the support I witnessed tonight.
The universe... idk, but it certainly has its quirks. And maybe one of them will be that in a few months time, someone's toy poodle puppy will start howling like a Beagle...
I used to breed/show/field trial dual purpose Beagles way back in what seems like another lifetime ago. The second of my (intended) brood bitches was Bunny, who was one of those dogs who had an impeccable pedigree but couldn't hunt a rabbit if it showed her a map, and wasn't quite show quality. In fact, I think she should have been born a toy poodle. Liked doing tricks, showing off, and generally felt she was here to be spoiled. We retired her @ 3yrs but decided to keep her on as a pet, and she became the unofficial Door Greeter to my puppy buyers. I mean, you couldn't take this dog outside without her cheering people up. She was only about 16lbs and 11.5", and no one really expected an adult Beagle to be that size. She got off her leash one time, ran down someone's driveway, and these two Very Musclebound tough guys working on a car were making a fuss over a dog in a pink tank top with cherries.
Anyway. She had a stroke about 2 weeks ago. She had apparently developed a heart murmur in her old age (15yrs) from an oral infection. It looked like she was recovering and, more importantly, wanted to get better. Basically, she was doing well until a few days ago, and early this morning took a turn for the worse. Suffice it to say that trying to get her seen by a local Vet has rekindled my hatred for the practitioners of that profession, but long story short, ended up walking her over to my regular Vet and demanded they treat the dying dog of someone who's been going to that animal hospital since they opened in 1994.
But here's the crazy thing. I don't have a car anymore, so I was carrying Bunny there - I made it about one block before a lady pulling up to the curb noticed I had a dog in my arms, and after asking what happened, offered to give me a lift to the Vet. It would only have been a 15 min walk, but she was stressed badly, so that was a literal lifesaver. She didn't know me from a hole in the wall, but was unbelievably friendly and supportive the entire way there. I was still stunned from that act of kindness while we were waiting outside (for well over an hour, while another walk in was seen without fuss and within a few minutes of arriving, I might add >:/ ) The vet tech on call was a real asshole, tbh. Several people had stopped by to give Bunny well wishes, and when she collapsed one woman gave her an actual piece of her clothing so she wouldn't have to lie on the ground - it was coming out both ends at that point, so I really couldn't hold her. One man prayed over her. Ok, so I'm an atheist, but even I can appreciate the sentiment. Another person came over and stayed with me for a good 20 minutes, probably longer. We were talking about the horrible experiences we've had with Vets and they offered to beat the vet tech up for me when he came out with the other walk in emergency case and helped her get the dog in her car after shrugging his shoulders and saying "oh, its tachycardia" when Bunny collapsed after waiting 45+ min outside. Then promptly went back in without informing the vet.
When she was finally taken in, thankfully the Vet was decent and agreed immediately with my wishes to have her immediately put down (the second tech I dealt with that night was another story that I just don't have the energy to get into, ugh), and she did eventually go peacefully.
It was a horrible night all around. I was beyond pissed that an obviously dying dog was made to wait for close to 1.5 hrs when the office was NOT busy, and other, much less critical walk in patients were taken in after a few minutes and no arguments about appointments while Bunny had literally collapsed on the sidewalk and was letting out actual screams at random intervals. I'd be livid if it wasn't for the incredible kindness of close to a dozen people I met tonight who helped me and this dog in some way. A group even got angry with the vet tech and started banging on the door and yelling "help" when she first went down. I'm 40 years old and have never in my life witnessed other human beings display so much compassion to one person at a single time. Basically, I've never seen anything like it, and am astounded at the support I witnessed tonight.
The universe... idk, but it certainly has its quirks. And maybe one of them will be that in a few months time, someone's toy poodle puppy will start howling like a Beagle...