Being a veterinarian puts you at the front line when it comes to animals needing homes, and we have adopted many of these fine animals. After adopting big dogs over the years, we decided that it would be nice to adopt a smaller dog; this is Jill’s story.
One of my favorite clients was a lady who bred Cairn terriers. Even though her breeding dogs were kept in her kennel, she was very attentive to them, and they got the best of care. Shortly after our decision to look for a small dog, she called me late at night concerned about “Jill” who had been in labor and hadn’t been able to deliver a puppy.
Jill had had two previous pregnancies without any problems. We met at the animal hospital and after two injections to stimulate contractions, Jill still was unsuccessful in delivering a pup. At that point I performed a Caesarian section and delivered five pups. Seeing them made me think the Star Wars people had Cairn puppies; they look just like little Ewoks. Because Jill wasn’t going to be bred again, her owner requested that I spay her after delivering the puppies (the uterus and ovaries are removed after the pups are delivered by C-section—ovariohysterectomy).
Since she could no longer be used as a breeding bitch, her owner asked if we would like to keep her. After weaning her puppies, she came to live with us and seemed so happy to be able to live in a home where she got a lot of attention, could sleep on our bed, and interact with our other dog and family members.
One of the nice things about being a veterinarian is that you can bring your dogs to work, and Jilly and Katie (a Rottweiler-Labrador retriever cross) often came to the animal hospital with me where they spent most of the time near my desk.
Jilly rarely left my office, but for some reason, whenever her breeder came in, she would make her way into the exam room and proceed to urinate in the breeder’s purse if she forgot and carelessly placed it on the floor. I guess that was Jilly’s way of saying, “Now I know what a real home is like.
East Bare Hill Road resident Fred Karotkin is a veterinarian.
