Hospital Work

Have you ever spent a day going from home to the "waiting room" to "pre-op" to the "waiting room" to outside to the cafeteria to a "hospital room?" Well I just did for the last 24 hours plus and I'm pooped.

I followed my girl and the alpha male in our home through these things and let me tell you, I worked hard! Some of these places were new and slightly strange. We started by having my girl "check-in." They took her right front paw and wrapped with something that had her name and other words I can't read on it.

Then a male with wheels came and took us back to a bed. I was thinking "we just got up, why are we going to bed again?" Then someone called a "nurse" came and asked the alpha male and my girl all kinds of questions. I have no idea what "allergies" and "medications" are, but I do understand "when did you eat last?" My answer was "a long time ago" because I can eat any time.

After the "nurse" then a "doctor" of anesthhh, a nest, oh they said something about going to sleep - something else I understand - came in and talked about my girl going to sleep. What a perfect day I thought, sleeping for a long time!

After the "doctor" came another person called a "surgeon." She said something about replacing a "pump" oh brother! you humans have too many hard words. Then my girl waited while they put some "medicine" in her arm. The alpha male said she was doing a good job being calm. HEY, what about me, I'm not just lying here because I'm cute ya know. I was trained to help her stay calm. I wasn't sitting on that chair next to her bed because I liked it.

The alpha male put on this white thing that covered his entire body except for the blue hat and fancy thing to cover his face. Then they took my girl away and LEFT ME ALONE. When the alpha male came back without my girl, he said she went to sleep very easy. Well it wasn't easy for me being left. I'm supposed to take care of her, but they wouldn't let me go to this place called "O.R."

The alpha male and I went to the waiting room and he talked for a long time. Then we took my girl's wheels up to her "hospital room." We returned to the waiting room. By that time, I was thinking I need to "hurry" and I don't mean move faster. The alpha male was called by another "nurse" and there was my girl!!

She was on another kind of wheels. This kind let her lay flat. We rolled her up to her "hospital room." There were more "nurses" and "aides" than I've seen in one room. They moved my girl to her "hospital bed" and I finally got to go out and "hurry." And not a moment too soon.

The rest of the day was spent in the "hospital room" with "nurses," "aides," and "cleaners" coming in and out. I did get fed thankfully and was finally able to get a decent nap.

In the evening, my girl went to make some "craft." I found out later that she make a bag to hold some treats or a small amount of food for me. That's what I call a "craft"! I met one of my fellow working dogs. Sonic was on a ten-day hospital stint with his boy. Sonic said he'd rather be playing too, but he knew how important it was for his boy to have him here. I know it doesn't always seem like we're working, but we can tell that our kids need us. I liked Sonic, but he, ahem, sheds and well he's brown. I like my black coat just the way it is thank you.

Later we walked around the "clinic" side of this hospital and it's amazing how different it is when there are no kids or "doctors" around. It was a peaceful walk until my girl's machine beeped. Then we had to move faster back to get the beep turned off.

Over the evening hours we tried to get to sleep, but they kept working on my girl. It's so much less complicated at home. We don't have all these intrusions on my resting time. As a matter of fact, all night long a "nurse" kept coming in and doing something to my girl. After a long working day, I needed some sleep. Unfortunately I only got a lot of dog naps.

Today I heard several times the word "home." Oh yes, home where my kennel is. I can't wait. My girl had to get an "AFO" fixed for her back right paw, see some "doctors," get a bath, get fed, have the "doctors" write papers called "prescriptions" and we can GO.

I'll tell you straight out, hospital work is OK some of the time, but I don't want to be here every day. I know that the over 30 people that worked with my girl helped her out, but I also know that I can take care of her much better at home. Well OK part of it is that I miss my bed too.

For my girl,

Hajik