What happened to Customer Service?

I am frustrated today.  My frustration actually started about 30 minutes after I woke up, which makes for a crappy day.  Spencer was supposed to go to the vet this morning to get all of his vaccines.  His appointment was at 8am.  I usually don't wake up until between 8 and 9, so I already had to get up earlier than normal--not really a big deal, though.  When I got to the vet's office to check in, I was asked if I had changed my phone number.  I have had the same number for nearly a decade--it's the same number they have in their computer system.  Apparently, they had tried to call me yesterday, but my number was "disconnected."  Then, I was told that they only have one doctor today, and they need to reschedule my appointment for next week.  If that won't work, I can drop him off and pick him up later--like around 6:00 PM when they are finished.  Are ya kiddin' me?  Also, I hardly think that calling me YESTERDAY to reschedule was an acceptable solution.  I still wouldn't be able to get another appointment until next week.

Spencer has doggie insurance through Banfield Pet Hospital, which is associated with Petsmart.  This post will hardly be a commercial for them, and I WILL be writing a complaint later on today.  They recently opened a new Banfield in the area.  Rather than hiring new vets, they just pulled vets from the other area hospitals to staff this new hospital.  The end result?  Now ALL of the hospitals are understaffed.  Is that my problem?  No.  Are they making it my problem?  Um, yes.

Spencer's appointment has been scheduled for several months.  Yes, I said MONTHS.  I didn't just call last week to set it up.  Yet, this morning, I had to rearrange my day because of their scheduling error.  My baby has to spend his day locked in a crate, just so he can get his shots.  Then they act like I have no right to be frustrated about this.  Seriously?  I pay these people $20 a month.  AND they didn't even apologize for inconveniencing me!!  

What the hell happened to "the customer is always right"?!

D is for Dog

This is Spencer.  This was taken the day I got him.  He was 10 weeks old.  He had that rubber chicken for quite a while before he destroyed it.  I drove from South Carolina to BFE Missouri to get Spencer.  He has been spoiled rotten ever since.  As you can see, he was quite a ferocious puppy.  He was very good on the car ride back to South Carolina.

He mostly slept and chewed on his hedgehog the whole way back.  The hedgehog was another toy we managed to hold on to for a pretty long time.  In our house, plush toys usually last a couple of days, tops.  Especially if they squeak.  Spencer loves to rip them open, find the squeaker, chew it until it no longer makes noise, and then string the plush intestines of his victims all over the apartment.  He thinks this is great fun.

He was actually a terrible puppy.  He was mostly gated in the kitchen when I was working so his messes were easy to clean up.  He suffered from boredom throughout most of his Puppyhood, which led him to find destructive ways to entertain himself.  Before moving out of my condo, I had to replace all the baseboards and the flooring in the kitchen.  I also had to basically build part of a wall out of drywall tape and spackle.  Thanks, Spencer.  I guess that's what I get for having such a tasty kitchen.

He loves to run around outside and get dirty, as you can see in this picture.  He is solid white, so of course that means he loves a good mud puddle.  He hates taking a bath, too.  Spencer just turned 4 in March, and he is a pretty good dog these days.  He spends most of his day lounging around the apartment.  

He's so much help when it comes to the laundry!!

He still loves to destroy the occasional stuffed animal.  He has a nice collection of bones, balls, and pieces of old squeaky toys sitting in a basket in the laundry room.  He really enjoys it when I clean the apartment and put all of his toys back in the basket so that he can get them all out again.  He has several femur bones that used to contain filling, but he rarely shows interest in them.  His favorite is a Nylabone that he has has since several Christmases ago.  I think he enjoys that one the most because it develops sharp edges as he chews it, and then he can leave in the hallway for me to step on as I stumble to the bathroom in the dark.  He actually managed to chew one of the femur bones into a shiv a while back.

Spencer is spoiled rotten.  Hopefully he will be a good Big Brother and not be too jealous of the baby.  He is such a good dog. Katie even managed to get him to smile for the camera a few years back!

A is for Allergies

Alright, I've decided to join the A-Z blogging fun.  I could use some new activities to keep me busy these days.  I'm playing catch-up, so I'll be posting on Sunday this week too.  Let's do this.

A is for Allergies

I hate allergies.  I have skin allergies.  Ridiculous skin allergies.  I have to buy the dye-free, fragrance-free laundry detergents and such.  God forbid I buy Gain in bulk from Sams--I developed an allergy to it about 1/4 of the way through the bottle.  I'm also allergic to Purex and Snuggle.  Those are just the ones I know for sure.  I don't mess around with laundry detergents anymore.

Even worse than skin allergies are seasonal allergies.  I don't actually have any seasonal allergies, but Spencer, my furry kid, does.  (He also has food allergies.  He eats special food for freaks with sensitive skin and stomachs.)  I had him tested last year for seasonal allergies, and the vet literally came back with a list of A DOZEN things to which he is allergic.  He also came back with the suggestion that I give him allergy shots that start around $300 for the first BATCH.  He would need the shots once a month during the off-season, and every 1-2 weeks during allergy season.  I decided I would just stick with the prescription-strength anti-histamines that only cost me $75 for a 3-month supply.

In hindsight, I should have just spent the damn money for the allergy shots.  My poor dog is miserable.  He is stuck in the Cone of Shame until this crap passes.

He looks so sad!!

Today, I actually had to go buy a bigger Cone.  While I was at work, he managed to get his paw around the Cone and scratch his face.  When I got home, he had blood all over his face.  It looked awful.  He also managed to dig at his front leg until it bled.  So when he was already miserable, itchy, and bleeding, I had to give him a bath.  He looks much better now, and I am working on modifying the new Cone because it is too big for his head.  Fortunately, I just need to punch holes in it and it should fit.  I also picked up some anti-itch shampoo that has hydrocortisone in it, so hopefully that will help.  

I'm just hoping allergy season goes quickly!  I hate seeing him so sad!

You're killin' me right now, Mom!

That's why we can't have nice things

So this weekend was moving weekend--YAY!!  Special thanks to Daddy, and friends Josh and Julia for moving all of my stuff while my pregnant self pretty much watched.  Sorry!

Everything made the trip across the parking lot in one piece, in a relatively short amount of time.  I was enjoying my extra bedroom, and my wonderful clean carpet...that's when it all went wrong.

Anyone who knows me is aware that I already have one child.  His name is Spencer, and he is a 4-year old Jack Russell Terrier.

Isn't he cute?  He is spoiled rotten, just like most only children.  He has actually been doing a wonderful job of training me to be a real mommy--he is excellent at waking me up in the middle of the night, and making disgusting messes for me to clean up.  Spencer is what you might call "high maintenance."  He has food allergies that force me to buy him special expensive food, and he has skin allergies that result in him spending most of the "pollen season" doped up on Benadryl and sporting the cone of shame.  Overall, he's a pretty good dog though--despite what Daddy has to say.

Occasionally, this dog will get a stomach bug.  By occasionally, I mean about once a month.  Usually he likes to spew around 3am, and he prefers to do it on my bed--see?  Excellent training to be a mommy--cleaning up nastiness in the middle of the night.  (Can you see where I'm going with this yet?)  This particular month, he decided to wait until about an hour after everything had been moved in to our new apartment with the NICE CLEAN CARPET.  Of course, he has no idea that maybe I would prefer him to vomit on the linoleum.  Oh no.  Why would he do that?

It wasn't just a one-time thing either.  Four times on Saturday.  Four. Times.

The third and fourth times I managed to get him to the linoleum.

Yesterday, I thought he was feeling better.  I freed him from his plastic prison.

Three times.  Three. Times.

The second time, I noticed a wad of aluminum foil.  Yes, this dog will sometimes channel Billy Goat, and get into the trash.  So now I have to call the vet and explain that I am a horrible dog mom--

"Yes, vet-tech receptionist lady at Petsmart, my dog got into the trash on Friday ...I do routinely leave it where he has access to it--in fact, a lot of times I like to baste my garbage in meat or bacon grease and just put it right into his crate.  This is because I like to play this little game I call 'See what Spencer can poop out.'  I have no idea what else he ate out of the trash--that's the fun of the game, lady!! ...Could you please tell me if he is going to be alright, or if I should rush him to your office and wait three hours for you to tell me to keep an eye one him? ...Or maybe I should even wait until the middle of the night so that I can finance braces for the daughter of the vet at the Pet Emergency Room? ...I am ashamed of myself for being such a terrible pet mom. The Animal Cops are probably on their way right now. ...I will follow Spencer around for the rest of the day, monitoring his condition and feeding him PediaLyte so he doesn't get dehydrated.  Do you think it would be alright if I put the PediaLyte in the toilet?  What?! ...Of course I don't let him drink from the toilet!! What kind of person do you think I am?!  Alright buh-bye now."

I didn't give him any PediaLyte.  Please don't tell the judgmental vet-tech receptionist lady at Petsmart.

He is feeling much better today, and by tomorrow he will probably be allowed to leave the kitchen. Oh, and if I didn't let him drink from the toilet, he would die from dehydration.  He doesn't like the water in his bowl--it's not fresh enough.