I thought I would write about some of the funny things that have happened to me in my veterinary career. Here is one of my favorite stories:
As a teenager I worked as a receptionist at an animal hospital. One day a man called and from what I could gather he had questions about his pregnant dog. But the conversation was difficult as he did not speak english well.
It sounded like he was asking me how we could find out whether or not his dog was pregnant.
“When’s the bitch due?” I said, proud of myself that I could use the “b” word and still sound professional.
He told me she was probably about 3 weeks pregnant.
So, I said, “Well, we can probably feel to see how many pups are inside.”
He sounded confused but moved on to his next question…”Does the doctor help with the delivery?”
That was a little odd, but I responded by telling him that she should be able to handle things at home, but call us if there was a problem.
After some more discussion I felt that he was still confused. So, I suggested that he set up an appointment to speak with one of our doctors. “What is your dog’s name,” I asked.
There was silence…
I repeated it, “Your dog’s name?”
“My dog?” he said, “I was calling about my girlfriend!”
It turns out that he had dialed the wrong number and was looking for an obstetrician! Not many obstetrical receptions would have said to him, “When’s the bitch due”, “we can feel to see how many pups are inside” and that “she can handle the delivery at home!”
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