When Stupidity Spends My Money Before I’ve Paid

September 6, 2008 by Keli.

A few months ago, a foxtail, the size of a pumpkin seed, became embedded in the paw of our young German Shepherd, Barbie. Barbie put on a brave face, insisting it didn’t bother her; meanwhile, the paw started to swell. A trip to the veterinarian was necessary.

I was grateful it was Barbie and not our Aussie Shepherd, Rio. Rio loathes the vet. He loathes other dogs, cats, rabbits and all animals at the vet’s office. He loathes people in and around the vet’s office; the beige linoleum floor particularly gets on his nerves. Thus, Rio stays in the car. The vet must come to him, and even then, Rio will allow himself to be touched only after the vet showers him with treats. Rio loves bribes. Could be he was a civil servant in another life. Rio, whom we adopted from a shelter, may have been the victim of stupers (short, yet again, for abominably stupid persons)or worse; his questionable behavior stems from leftover scars.

At the vet’s office, Barbie sat nicely on the floor. She politely permitted the receptionist to pet her; she thought the linoleum floor felt cool and didn’t complain. And she pleasantly greeted the other dogs and their owners. In short, she willingly cooperated…until she met Dr. D.

Dr. D appeared innocuous enough. Picture a short Santa without the beard and red get-up. Barbie decided this pudgy fellow would look much better somewhere else…like in another building, and she proceeded to convince him of that. She barked, growled and did everything in her power to display her wayward feelings toward him. Consequently, she had to be sedated.

I left and returned hours later to pick up my little friend. I did. Then I waited to pay the bill. Dr. D happened to be sitting behind the receptionist. He was on the telephone. His conversation went like this:

“Louie? Dr. D. here. Go ahead on that remodel. I decided to expand the family room, after all. (Laughs) Yeah, I need lots of room for the grandkids. I know it’s gonna cost more money, but let’s use the Portuguese, hand-painted ceramic tile…”

And so on. I started to sweat. Just how much did one foxtail removal cost?

I ended up paying enough to tile the entire family room, with leftover pieces to use as decorative trivets for a large dinner party. Barbie gave me a groggy, “I told you so” look. I vowed never to return to the money-hungry Dr. D again.

Any professional who cannot wait for his clients to pay and exit before announcing how he was going to use the money is a stuper. Dr. D displayed thoughtlessness and preoccupation with material gain rather than concern for his patient’s well-being. If he’d just taken the few minutes he’d spent on the phone with his contractor and used them instead on Barbie and me, all of us would have felt satisfaction. And Barbie would have remained his patient.

Think first, last and always.

Keli

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