Its a clear bright cold day outside here in SE Michigan. Which is a rare thing,the sunshine,not the cold. We had another little storm to kick off the week...4 more inches of snow. And we are on tap for another 2 inches tomorrow. That will give us over 70 inches of the white so far this season! Pretty amazing stuff to say the least.
Life is really twisty in so many ways. I wrote about giving blood my last entry and the idea behind the Pink Hat. I also touched very lightly on going out socially for the first time as well to my friend's Dominic's house to watch some wrestling and how he has a cute dog.
So you can imagine my surprise when I got a call from my friend. He need to take Vinny (his dog) in to the vet urgently. He suffers from bladder stones and seizures and was having a very rough time. The problem was his car was in the shop and he was trying to get a ride to the Westland Humane Society's vet clinic. I said no problem...Vinny is Dom and Katie (his fiance)'s family,much like Paladin is mine. I could hear the worry is his voice and that put a little urgency in my step. I backed the Rodger Young out and headed to his home.
I got there in good shape but had my doubts I would actually make to him as his apartment complex's driveway was a sheet of thick ice. But I made it in and went in. I was shocked to see how bad Vinny looked,from a happy talking pug to a sad sight of him trying to get comfortable,trying to follow Dom when he went into the kitchen...you could see he was in some pain. Pretty soon we scooped Vinny up and headed to the vet.
Now I know (stop me if you have heard this before) money is tight for us all...and going to the vet is not a cheap date. I asked Dom what they say this might run...he just looked at me and said "I have no idea. I have an XX amount I have saved." He also told me they were talking potential surgery and he wouldn't have enough to cover that.
Two years ago...I am unemployed,we are in our 2nd year of Lori's illness. I am trying very hard to find any job. What has been hard before is going to be extra hard now,employers were not falling over to hire and hiring someone with a serious illness in the family,well...you are in for a extreme tussle. Employers want you to be focused and dependable for the position they are hiring you for.
I had applied at for a company and I got a call saying I had a interview. I went in to it with no expectations once I explained my position. I know many people who have told me that I should never mention Lori's cancer in any interview. I disagreed...because as an employer,I would feel lied to if I hired someone and afterwards they sprung this on me. Not that they had a serious illness,that we could handle TOGETHER,no,I would feel they weren't trustworthy and wonder what else that person was hiding. It would create instant distrust in my opinion.
So I decided to be upfront about where we were at.
The person I interviewed with was Dominic. Two years ago he took a chance on me and was crucial in getting my foot in the door at my current job. He helped me and my family when we needed it most. I don't forget kindness like that...which many of you who have stayed with me in this blog already know.
So it was a no brainer to tell Dominic,that I had him covered at the vets. I mean,how could I not?
We got there in good time and Dominic and Vinny were checked in. Soon,they were called to the back...and I waited in the waiting room. I met Sammy,a beautiful long haired kitty who had a very doting owner,he was bringing Sammy in for a check-up.
I met Joker,a rescued pit bull was pretty happy to meet me...until I put my hand out for him to sniff. Now whenever I meet a new dog,I always present a fist for them to smell. You never give a unknown dog a open hand because if they bite,you can really get hurt,they can sink in a bite better with a open hand then a closed fist,harder to get a mouth around a closed fist. I did that and Joker started growling,his owner was had a tight grip on his leash and was very sorry that his dog reacted that way.
The owner and I started talking,he had Joker for little more then a year. He was a rescue from Detroit and had been found chained to a tree with a severe case of mange. You could still see the effects of the mange on his lower legs. The Humane Society said they thought Joker had been used as a bait dog. He might have reacted to my fist as he thought he was going to be hit or abused. The young man had been working very hard with re-training Joker and despite what happened,I think Joker will be fine but will need a lot of work.
While I meeting other pet parents,I notice the time was dragging...and from experience I can tell you,the longer you wait,the worse the news is.
An hour and 10 minutes later,Dominic came out. It looked like Vinny was going to need surgery and he would be staying at the hospital. He explained that he was critical,he had to be treated right away. But of course that would require a deposit and it was far out his budget...but it had to happen,right? So it did and we left Vinny behind with the vet saying she would update Dom later.
We trudged back to the car and headed back to Dom's house. I glanced over and saw him struggling with his emotions. I said it was okay,my car has sen so many tears in past 4 years...and so he did.
I stayed and kept him company until Katie got home. Then I headed to work.
The staff worked very hard on Vinny as he quickly won many of hearts,he really is a cat pretending to be a pug. Yesterday Dominic called me..the good news was Vinny avoided surgery and could come home. The bad news was his car was still laid up in the shop. Not a problem,lets go get Vinny was the only thing I could say.
I zipped over to Plymouth,picked Dom up. We had a little time to kill so he bought me lunch at Penn Station. Never had eaten there before but it was pretty darn good! We killed some time and then went to get Vinny.
Wow! It was amazing to see how much better he was,he was just like he was last weekend. His bladder so so full but they put a catheter (deja vu) in Vinny and drained him,adjusted his diet (no more cheese!) and said they would be monitering his seizures. They said he could be adjusting to his present medicine and building a immunity to it,so he might have to get a new med. He will have to go back for a follow-up visit this Saturday but the doctor seemed hopeful. As we waited for Katie,Vinny was talking and grunting. A couple of staff members walked over and said "hello" to the new rock star.
30 minutes later,I got to see the family reunited and headed home.
After I had left Dom's the first time,I went to work. I got there a little early...but I got a most welcome surprise,our co-worker and all around great guy,Justin was back. Justin was the young man who was called to serve in Afghanistan for 9 months on a front line post. Lori had given him a St. Christopher medal to keep him safe and sound. I prayed for two things last year....I prayed for both Lori's and Justin's lives. Seeing Justin really drove home that God does answer prayers. Maybe not in the order received but I am okay with that...he deserves to come home and have his family back. He should have never been there in the first place. But he did his duty to us all and did it proudly. He and I had a few minutes to talk,he asked about Lori and I told him. I asked how he was doing,he came back dinged up a bit. He mentioned some close calls and some of the missions he went on. I thought the coolest thing was his getting a direct call from a 1 star general! While the topic wasn't so fun,the idea of getting a direct call was unique!
He ended up losing 30 pounds and he looked in great shape. He is back at our store and we are so very happy he is back!
Got a sad note today,my friend Michelle in North Dakota said her wonderful kitty,Smokey,had crossed the Rainbow Bridge this week. Kidney failure was the cause. Smokey was the queen of that house...she was a very good friend to Brad and Michelle and will sorely missed.
Well,that is all I have for today. Next entry will be by my guest blogger I promise!
Try and stay warm,hug your pets a little more today and be glad you have them to share your life with.
If you are on Twitter,follow me @Jinzo_2400
Shout outs
Brad- Spring training!
Susan Smiley - Spring training
Phil - Spring training!
Sydney- Congrats on starting your blog,keep writing. You have a lot to say.
Lisa Ann - Blonde or redhead,its your heart that makes you such a beautiful human being
Dom and Katie- Glad I was able to help. Call me anytime
Scorpion - Thanks for your razor sharp wit.
Sinatra- Phone call this weekend?
Jimmy - Hoping for a sold out show with Schenker.
Cezanne - just because
Elaine - Happy anniversary!
Foster and Valenti- Don't let Brandon off the hook!
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