Art snacks
Suzanne sat anxiously, with her legs crossed and with one leg jumping up and down against the floor. One of her arms held onto a leash while the other one supported her chin as she tried not to look around too much. This wasn’t her environment at all, full of animals and weird smells and barking. Petunia, her boxer mix, didn’t seem at all bothered by the fact they were surrounded by other dogs, a squawking bird and a nervous, hissing cat. There was even a bigass turtle with a leash around its shell by the end of the hallway. In fact, the dog was pretty ecstatic to be out and about with her owner and to be so surrounded by friendly animals. Suzanne, on the other hand, was a bit mortified to be seen with her dog. It wasn’t that she didn’t like her dog, but she could feel the looks passersby gave her once they gave Petunia a quick glance. The bright red marks that she hadn’t been able to rub out of her snout were pretty obviously not supposed to be there.
When Petunia moved closer to the cage with the bird, it squawked against ad flew around furiously. Suzanne, in turn, pulled at the leash. “Petunia, heel. Come on, leave it alone.” She just wanted to get this over with.
“So three drops, in his meal, once a day. Sometimes animals can be a little suspicious about eating if they smell something different. Should that be the case, hiding the medicine in some peanut butter is also acceptable. Should he still not want to eat it, you can call me and we can discuss alternatives. But my experience with the breed tells me they’re usually not picky eaters. His stomach will be fine in no time.”
This deep voice emerged from the veterinarian’s office as its door opened and a man in green scrubs -most likely the vet- showed out a young man with a massive grey Great Dane. The two of them exchanged a few more pleasantries, then shook hands. The guy with the dog left the waiting room and the doctor turned his attention to the other people in there.
“Alright, next please— In a bit, Mrs. Gellerman,” the vet interrupted himself upon noticing the elderly woman with the leashed turtle had gotten up from her seat and made an attempt to speak to him. “I will see to you and George in a while. When it’s your turn, I promise I will give him my undivided attention.” He raised his eyebrows and inclined his head at her, in a whimsical, yet dismissive way, so his gesture remained polite. It worked, and the woman sat back down, waving her hands about in theatrical apologies.
“Alright then,” the doctor went on, turning to Suzanne this time. “I believe you are next, ma’am.” His eyes systematically fell on the dog that was with her. Unsurprisingly, his eyebrows went aloft upon witnessing the pet’s peculiar state. He didn’t comment on it just yet, instead invited Suzanne and the dog inside the practice.
“Please come in,” he said politely, showing her the way in and holding the door open for her. Once inside, he closed it, and positioned himself behind the stainless steel examination table.
“I am Aaron Davis,” he introduced himself, holding out his hand. “Don’t worry, I wash them after every patient. I believe you are new to this practice? Unless you consulted the previous veterinarian that worked here?”
When she was pointed at, Suzanne stood up nodding. She glanced down at her dog, who was again trying to make friends with the caged bird and she gave the leash a little tug. “Come on, Petunia. Our turn.” The dog was amiable enough to follow her owner as they went into the examining room. She smelled around the doorway and tackled Suzanne’s leg once she stopped next to the examining table. She had to flex her knee to keep herself from tumbling from the impact.
Suzanne reached out to shake Aaron’s hand. “Pleasure, doctor. I’m Suzanne Lee. And this,” she gave his hand a squeeze before leting go of it. She then reached down to pick up her dog, who was scratching the back of her calf for attention. It took some effort, as she was now past the puppy stage and getting a more sturdy adult body. She placed the dog on the metal table, struggling a bit to remove the leash, “is Petunia.” The aforementioned dog looked around the place, impressed to be so tall now, and walked forward, nails clinking against the metal, to sniff at the stranger.
“Aaron’s fine,” Aaron assured her. “Nice to meet you too.” He liked to establish a sort of familiarity with his clients. While, admittedly, it stroked his ego a little to be called doctor, he felt like being on a first name basis with his clients invited them to feel more comfortable when he handled their beloved pets.
“And nice to meet you too, Petunia,” Aaron greeted the dog as it came to investigate him. He held out his hand for her to sniff, allowing the dog to familiarize herself with him. “I’m going to take a wild guess and assume you’ve come here for… this?” He gestured at the pooch’s mouth, where the bright pink stains of lipstick still stuck to the fur. “Lipstick, I would guess. Unless you do this on the regular, so you and Petunia would match. Which you are free to do in your own time of course, but as a vet, I don’t recommend it. It’s not toxic, but still, not recommended.”
A small grin appeared on his face, while he used one hand to stroke Petunia’s head, after he’d estimated he was allowed to touch her. “Interesting dog. Seems like a boxer mix.” As he spoke, he turned around and retrieved a couple of latex gloves from a box on the counter. He was busy putting them on while he turned back to Suzanne and her dog. Next, he positioned Petunia so her flank was facing him, and started to feel around on her abdomen, slightly pressing it. “Still a relatively young dog. Do you know how old she is?”
Petunia was a friendly dog, and she immediately tried to lick his fingers when he offered them only going to smell them almost as an afterthought. She’d yet to encounter a person that had any ill will towards her. Suzanne laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, that’s why we’re here. She got into my purse, gobbled up my favorite lipstick. I don’t even know how she got the lid off.” She put her hand on the dog’s back, trying to get her to sit. She still wasn’t too sure how to act around her dog. She never seemed to be able to control her very well.
“She’s a boxer and, uh, French bulldog, I think. Something like that, I know she’s kind of a mutt.” Once Aaron took over, she took a step back, watching as he examined the dog’s body, twirling a strawberry blonde lock of hair between her fingers. “She’s seven months, been with me for like six. But I didn’t know how to fill out a lot of the paperwork because I wasn’t her primary caretaker until just recently.” When she’d been handed a medical questionnaire for the dog earlier, she’d stared down at the paper without knowing what to write. She didn’t know the first thing about any doggie allergies her puppy might have, or if she’d had her shots yet.
“Well, you know that idea that dogs start to look like their owners,” Aaron said, “Perhaps she was quite eager to.” He lifted his eyebrows comically.
Upon her mention of the paperwork, Aaron briefly left the dog on the table and went over to his desk. There, he retrieved the mentioned paperwork, which his assistant had left there sometime before Suzanne had come in. While he returned, his dark eyes scanned the sheet, indeed noticing that not everything was filled in.
“No matter,” Aaron shrugged off good-naturedly, putting the sheet on the table. “This happens all the time, no need to worry.” He picked up a small flashlight from the counter where he’d gotten his gloves from, then turned back to the dog. Carefully, he put his fingers in Petunia’s mouth and pulled it open, using a couple of fingers to use the flashlight and look inside. “So you got her at 4 weeks old? That is relatively early. Did you adopt her from a shelter, or took her from someone else? Sheltered animals should all have received the necessary vaccinations.” He glanced briefly at Petunia’s owner, who had occupied herself with twirling her hair. He had to note she was quite pretty. She also appeared a little nervous, but he assumed that was because of her dog. Clients tended to be a little antsy when their pets were being examined.
Aaron released the dog, clicked off the small light and put it in his breast pocket. “Mouth looks fine. Just some lipstick remnants, but they’ll be gone soon enough.” He moved back to Petunia’s abdomen and continued feeling around. “I have some information brochures about recognizing allergy symptoms and such. I’d be happy to give you some. Incidentally, do you know if she has swallowed the lipstick container?”
Suzanne chuckled a little at his joke. At least it looked like it wasn’t serious, otherwise he wouldn’t be cracking jokes. She continued to wring her hair between her fingers, making a dismissive hand gesture at his question. “I… don’t know. She was a gift. I, uh, think he might’ve gotten her from a pet store? I don’t really know for sure.” And she sure as hell didn’t want to call that cheating asshole to ask. She was already a little nervous about what the bill from this visit was going to be, considering she was a little tight on money.She was still recovering from having to come up with money not only for a new deposit but also for a month’s worth of rent pretty much on the spot.
“No, no, she didn’t swallow it. She just ate the actual lipstick. I found the lid and the other… part. She just nibbled it and licked it clean. Well, figuratively. She made a mess everywhere. ” She could almost feel the headache coming back. The floor was easy enough to clean, but the wall, where she’s apparently tried to clean her mouth by rubbing against it, was another problem entirely.She was going to have to figure out a way to clean it if she wanted her deposit back. “The lipstick will wash out eventually, right?”
“Alright,” Aaron confirmed with a single nod. He continued to feel around Petunia’s stomach a little while longer, then withdrew his hands. “I don’t feel any abnormalities, and if she didn’t swallow the container, then there’s no reason for immediate alarm. Though this is the first time I’ve seen a dog eat lipstick, I know it’s not uncommon for such a thing to happen. Lipstick isn’t toxic to animals, just like how it isn’t to humans.” He chuckled a little when she mentioned the mess she made, “Young dogs manage to get their mouths on everything. Much like toddlers do. Keep an eye on her for the next couple of days. If she vomits or has any diarrhea, you can bring her in again, but I don’t expect she will.”
Aaron pulled a pen out of his breast pocket and made a couple of notes on a small notebook that lay in a corner of the steel table. “Yeah, no need to worry about the stains. They’ll be gone soon enough when she drinks or licks. The fur will make it wash out with a bit more difficulty than it does on human skin. It shouldn’t leave any damage.”
He left the pen on the table, then scratched Petunia behind the ears. “As far as the vaccinations go, I can give her the necessary shots right now if you’d like. It doesn’t really matter whether or not she’s already received them in the past. It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Privately, he wondered where the mixed dog had come from. Nowhere dodgy he hoped, which was one of his biggest pet peeves, since incorrectly bred dogs often ended up with a lot of health problems. At least Petunia’s owner seemed to genuinely care about her pet, considering she’d brought her in so quickly after being confronted with the dog’s unconventional snack.
“At the moment she appears to be perfectly healthy,” he went on, deciding he may as well compliment Miss Lee for her dedication to the dog, “No fleas or ticks, normal weight for a dog her age. You’ve been doing a good job raising her so far.”
Suzanne nodded her head at his instructions. Vomit or diarrhea, great. She sighed, rubbing at her forehead before moving her hands up to her hair and brushing it back. “Yeah, let’s go with the vaccines. Don’t need her getting sick on me. I don’t think I could manage those bills.” She tried to sound casual about it so it’d sound as a joke, but she really wouldn’t be able to manage those bills with her salary being the only thing keeping her afloat now.
His praise did fill her with pride, but it also gave her a little guilt. And anger. After all, she hadn’t been the one to look after Petunia up until now. “Thank you. She’s my only roommate now. Girls have to look after each other, after all.” She reached out to scratch her dog’s back for a little, chewing on her bottom lip for a bit.
“Doctor— Aaron, right? I have… a few questions, if you don’t mind.” She looked a little awkward, but she carried on. “I’m not really an expert when it comes to taking care of dogs. Uhm, my… ex used to be the one taking care of her, so I never really learned. And there’s all these stupid questions I’m still figuring out. So, promise you won’t laugh?”
Aaron glanced her way as she mentioned her bills. He didn’t respond directly to it, but chatted casually while he went to retrieve the necessary items he required for Petunia’s shots. “If you are interested, this practice is connected to the national Pet Assurance Agency. If you get a membership, you can get a standard 25% discount on consultations, regardless of what your pet might be suffering from, and regardless of what pet or pets they are.”
While he spoke, he’d fished a key out of his pocket, which he used to open a glass cabinet that stood against a wall to the left. He retrieved a couple of vials from it, then closed the cupboard again. He lifted his eyebrows comically. “While this might come off as an insurance promo, I can assure you it’s not. It’s simply an option if you are interested. It requires a small yearly fee. I have more flyers about it, should you want one.”
After having placed the vials on the counter behind him, Aaron opened a drawer and fished out a clean syringe. He hoped that he’d correctly assisted her in an indirect way, without making her feel uncomfortable about her finances. Truthfully, a lot of the job was navigating people rather than animals. The animals were by far the easiest to work with, so he had experienced overtime. As he prepared the first shot, he chuckled at Suzanne’s words.
“True,” he confirmed with a nod. “Girls are the best roommates. There’s mine.” With his hands occupied, Aaron nodded his head at his desk, where a picture of a black and white dog stood, sitting happily in a field of flowers with her tongue lolling. “Border collie. Her name’s Maisie. Okay girl, hold still.”
Aaron had approached the dog, the injection in one hand. “You might want to stroke her face a little,” he instructed Miss Lee, “Keep her a little distracted.” Next, he felt around the end of Petunia’s back. Once she was secured, he picked out the right spot and inserted the needle in one fluid motion. Five seconds later, it was over.
“Alright, excellent,” Aaron commended. “Just two more and she’ll be all set.”
He looked up at Petunia’s owner when she addressed him, confirming his name with a quick nod. A little smile tugged at the corner of his mouth when she spoke. There was something endearing about how concerned she was about her care for the dog.
“Fire away,” he assured her, while he went back to the counter behind him to prepare the next injection. “There’s no such thing as stupid questions, only stupid decisions made by people who never asked any questions. So I’d say you’re good. I promise I won’t laugh, go ahead.”
She made a face at the insurance sounding option. She didn't have insurance, but apparently her dog needed one. She politely didn't comment on it, but privately decided to ignore his comment. “No, I think I'm ok. Thank you.”
“Oh,” she blinked a little, and realizing she made a sound that would call attention to her, she continued her thought “I thought you meant an actual girl when you said that. I was going to say,” she did a playful little hairflip, “'Why, yes, we do make the best roommates'. Which we do.” As instructed, she reached out to Petunia and coaxed her to turn to face her, petting and scratching her enough to distract her away from the shots she was about to get. She leaned in closer to the pup and spoke with a might higher pitched voice. “You're gonna be a good girl, right, Petunia? You're gonna let the good doctor work without barking, right? And you're gonna get a treat when we leave, right? Of course you are.”
Thankfully, Aaron knew what he was doing because actually getting the shot only lasted a few seconds, and Petunia barely aknowledge it with a lo, whiny growl at the back of her throat. As soon as he was done and he let go, she tried to jump on Suzanne and managed to throw her front paws on her shoulder. Suzanne 'Ooph'ed but continued to stroke her back. “Good girl, good girl.” When it came back to her questions, the redhead turned back to face the doctor. “Uhm, well, can I wash her fur with people shampoo? Or do I really need to get her the doggie shampoo? And how often is it ok to give her a bath? I keep her inside, so I don't want her to stink up the place. She has the bad habit of jumping on my bed, so my pillows smell like her now.”
