Hey! Primrose here, your friendly neighbourhood dachshund. You may have seen me around the clinic lately or perhaps on one of our social media outlets (I’m a big deal around here).
For those of you that don’t know me, my mom is Dr. Sarah, here at Cambrian Animal Hospital. Primrose is my name, but my friends call me Prim, Prim-Prim, Primmers or on occasion, Bad Dog!
Even though I am just 6 and ½ months old, I go to work every day just like everyone else, and I take my job quite seriously. My roles here at work include pestering my older sisters, taking naps, socializing with clients and staff members, getting belly rubs and getting as many liver treats as possible. Some people may say I’m just a standard employee here at the clinic, but I disagree. I’m pretty sure I’m the boss!
Working here at the veterinary clinic has its ups and downs. On the one hand, there is always a lot to see and smell, and there is never a shortage of treats or people to feed them to me. However, there are some downsides as well. The hours can be long, and sometimes, I get impatient waiting for mom to release me from my kennel at the end of the day.
I see a lot of different animals that come and go from the clinic every day. Most of them are healthy and happy, here to get their check-up from mom. Mom doesn’t let me go in the exam room with her so I’m not sure exactly what goes on in there but some of the animals that leave tell me she gave them a needle, which doesn’t sound like a lot of fun. Some animals that come in are feeling under the weather. Sometimes mom sends them home with medicine to make them feel better, and sometimes, they have to stay in the clinic for a sleepover. On occasion, an animal comes in that is very old or very sick. That animal’s family is always very sad, and after mom visits with them, she is also sad. I’m not sure why but my sisters say that it’s all part of the circle of life and that I’ll understand when I’m older. In those instances, I make sure to give mom an extra big snuggle and lots of wet kisses. That always seems to cheer her up.
Not all of the animals that come to the clinic are happy to see my mom for their check-ups. Some of them are scared (which I can’t understand why, since there are so many treats up for grabs!) and some of them are in a bad mood. Sometimes, after my mom finishes a check-up with an animal, she has scratches and bruises on her hands and arms. I try to tell her she must be introducing herself wrong. She is not following proper protocol (walk up to them, roll over and show your belly and then each take your turn sniffing each other’s butt), but mom never listens to me.
Overall, it’s a pretty great place to work, even though sometimes my sisters steal the attention and get more treats than I do. Well, that’s all I have time for today. I heard that someone might be handing out liver treats and I want to make sure I get some before my sisters eat them all. I hope to see you all around the clinic sometime soon!
Bye for now!
Written by Dr. Sarah Bowyer, DVM