...and then my dog died.

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Added: Wed. Sep 23, 2009 9:43am
Posted in: Pets

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I don't leave home much. I rarely travel, in fact, I rarely go out except to shop. That may seem strange, but I'm not a shut-in, just a homebody. We go out to dinner every couple of weeks, but with the internet, the big screen tv, the massive cable bill, and the pool in the back yard...I am happy at home.

So when my friend Michelle asked me to accompany her to Detroit, I was kind of excited. Detroit would not be high on my list of places to vacation, and this was a business trip in any case, but it was still a break in my routine. She had to go to court. Seems her loving brother and sister conspired to cut her out of dad's will and conveniently forgot to tell her he died until it was almost too late for her to contest the filing of the will - that's right, they refused to return her calls or emails for 120 days. That's not shady or anything. I'll tell you more about it when it's all over. Right now, I think it would be unwise.

So we got to the airport about an hour and 20 minutes early, but we parked in a satellite lot and took the shuttle in. We checked in, and Michelle had to smoke a cigarette while I paced. Then she was hungry and we stopped close to the gate for food, but she talked more than she ate. There were no clocks nearby, which seems really odd. I asked someone for the time, and it was just 15 minutes before departure, so I jumped out of my seat, threw away my trash and headed for the gate...and looked back to see Michelle finishing her sandwich. Eventually, she got up and we moseyed down the concourse. But she had to go to the bathroom...ok, so anyway, we missed the flight by 2 minutes. The plane was still on the runway but the doors were closed. (on the way back, we arrived at the airport at 9:45 for our noon flight. I wasn't taking any more chances with pokiness)

USAirways got us on the next flight, which was leaving in about an hour from a nearby gate. I sat down to read, but Michelle wandered off..I thought to find an outside door to smoke. It turned out she went to the bar. Flying makes her nervous, so she had a drink. I don't object, except that she came back after they'd started boarding our flight and I really didn't want to miss another one.

Our original flight was routed through one of the Carolinas, but this one had a stopover in DC, at Ronald Reagan airport. I was ridiculously thrilled to see the capitol building and the Washington monument as we landed. In fact, from the windows of the airport, we had a good view of all kinds of historic buildings. Unfortunately, that's as close as we got. We had just under 3 hours to kill and that wasn't enough time to really do anything.

I called home when we landed and learned that my 5 month old dog, who we all loved dearly, had started throwing up. So my son took him to a nearby clinic where he was diagnosed with parvo, a deadly viral disease. My husband doesn't deal with things well. He demanded that I come home. now. I explained that it wasn't going to happen. My discount tickets were non-refundable; I'd have to buy new ones and eat the cost of the originals...plus, I think it would negatively affect the rest of the package, resulting in additional fees and such if I didn't catch the connecting flight. So it would cost both me and Michelle a great deal of money. He complains a little more and hangs up on me. Then calls me back later to tell me that the vet wanted $600. I had taken the bank card with me and left them $250 or so in cash. I had just enough time to find the airport banking center and wire them the money by Western Union.

When we landed in Detroit and I called them, the pup was in bad shape. What's more, it turns out the $600 was not for the 4 day full course of treatment...it was for the whopping 6 hours they'd put in. People, don't go to PetSmart clinics. It was open n Sunday, but the charges were outrageous, they don't keep the dog overnight, and they misled my son, telling him that 25% of dogs survive parvo and big breeds like ours have a better chance. We have since learned that about 3% survive. We might have put him down and spared him the next day of agony if we'd known. Actually, we would probably still have tried to save him, but at least we'd have made an informed choice.

My son had to take Buddy home at 5. The vet told him what to do, and what to expect. Buddy started vomiting blood at 1 AM, so they rushed him to the nearest pet hospital. Turns out they charge $100 a day. Not $600. What's more, they are wonderful. all I've got is a phone number at the moment, but I'll get the info and post it.

So now we're in Detroit and my dog, who was healthy and happy when I left home - the only indication of trouble was lack of appetite - on death's door, my husband demanding that I come home, and my son and daughter beside themselves with grief. To be fair to my husband, he was grief stricken, stressed out, and completely overwhelmed.

So now we come to the rental car issue. I booked through Priceline, and I'm telling you right now, don't, or at least don't include your rental car. When we got to the rental car agency, I went to the counter with the phone at my ear, patiently explaining to my husband that the next time, I'd plan my trip for a day when the dog wasn't going to come down with a deadly virus, and the woman at the counter asked for a credit card. We'd already paid for the car, but I knew they would want a credit card with $200 on it for a deposit. She handed it back to me. "this credit card doesn't have your name on it, we can't use it." I told hub I'd get back to him and told the woman that while I am the driver, Michelle is financing the trip. She said "can't do it. Call priceline and see if they can fix it." Well, after an hour on th phone with priceline, we determined that they can't fix it. They were incapable of taking driver #2's name and putting it in the driver #1 slot. What's more, they threatened to charge me a fee to cancel the reservation and refund the money. After I screamed at them (it had been a long day), and pointed out, rightly, that the wording of my contract does NOT, in fact, say that the credit card has to be in the driver's name and this is a piss-poor time to be telling me that, they decided not to charge me a fee after all. So we rented a card on the spot. It cost $200 more than the original rental. But whatever. Following the original plan, we would have been in our hotel room at 3 pm. We left the rental car company about 9.

By this time, I had enlisted my mom to call my son every few hours, and instructed my son to call my friend Donna, who he's known since he was 6, because I knew she'd drop everything to help him if he needed it, and she did. He didn't need her after all because my husband decided to take a few days off so he could deal with all of it, but he was reassured to know that she was there. But my phone was still ringing off the hook.

The only things I'd had to eat were a piece of quiche at around 10:30 in the morning and two or three bites of Michelle's taco salad in Washington. I didn't order for myself because I was too upset and had a lot of running around to do during our layover. I was starving, but the hotel's restaurant was still open. The hotel was absolutely lovely. It was a Best Western and I didn't expect much, but they'd really made an effort. It was newly redone in Victorian decor, with antiques in the lobby and really nice beds with extra pillows. It would have been amazingly restful except for the cigarette smoke causing a sinus meltdown. I'm very allergic. Next time, I'll take a gas mask. Detroit allows smoking everywhere. I warned Michelle that if she smoked at the breakfast table, I'd throw up eggs in her lap. Do NOT smoke while I'm eating. thanks. It never ceases to amaze me that people will smoke in your face even if they know it makes you sick. Within a few hours, I was coughing and hacking, I could barely breathe, and I was nauseous and headachey. I didn't complain, but Michelle already knows what smoke does to me. She apologized. but didn't stop or go outside. When we got home to my smoke-free environment, it took me three days to recover.

In Detroit, we visited the lawyer's office, the courtroom and the condo where Michelle's parents had lived. And nowhere else. Between the stress of the court and my stress, we were too exhausted. Although I did see a giant tire which seems to be some sort of landmark.

Our puppy died the second night we were there. This wasn't just any pup. It was exactly the right pup for us. He was smart and loveable, protective but not aggressive, not an excessive barker, and not inclined to destroy things. He won my heart in minutes - and believe me, I am not really a pet person.

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Marc Middleton
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Posted 2:10pm September 24th, 2009
Sheri, I'm exhausted just reading about it. You make a couch and a cold beer sound good. I so sorry to hear about your nightmarish trip and your painful loss. Hang in there.
Vannie
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Posted 2:09pm September 24th, 2009

Oh my goodness. What an experience Sheri. I am sorry to hear along with everything else that your beloved dog died. I do hope everything turns out well for your friend and that you will allow yourself some time to grieve for your furbaby. I know that pets are not like family, they are family.

I did smile as I read about your friend Michelle. She sounds like a friend of mine who conducted her life in a series of "knick of time" actions. Fortunately she did not smoke, like you I have a very real problem with cigarette smoke and try to avoid it at all costs.

This was one of those times when we have to remember what it means to be a friend. It seems you did

Vannie
sherisaid
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Posted 10:17am September 24th, 2009
Mel, I totally lost it on the phone with priceline. I was that person yelling into the phone at full volume, tears streaming down my face, complete meltdown. Pretty sure I scared the bejeebus out of the other people waiting to rent a car. A guy in another room kept staring at me and I fixed him with the evil eye of doom. I actually considered pitching a potted ficus through the glass door at him.

But once we got the car, I calmed down considerably, and when I got back to the hotel, I sent quite a few choice words to @williamshatner because it amused me. I may have even demanded he bring the van and the monkeys to fix my problem personally.

But after my meltdown, I was fine for the rest of the trip...nothing else fazed me. That's pretty typical of me, I explode once, then it's over and I can take care of business.
Mousetrap
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Posted 10:31pm September 23rd, 2009

I've had more than my share of horror storys traveling on planes and during trips. Especially in the military and traveling overseas (including on leave at an airport where they didnt speak english) or even on a local plane when I was almost jarred out of my seat (I was sleeping) and when i looked around everyone was praying and holding hands. (oh and dont ever ride a plane when you have an earache).

However, I have never had to deal with a crisis at home at the same time and never had to deal with a loved pet dying. I really don't know how you managed to keep yourself together. I would have lost it and cried the whole time. It took a lot of strength on your part to continue your trip. You are a rock and Michelle couldn't ask for a better friend.
sherisaid
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Posted 5:05pm September 23rd, 2009
Ginger, I agree about smokers. I would never do something that would adversely affect someone else on purpose, and if I did it accidentally, I'd stop immediately. I just don't understand that kind of behavior, but I've seen it many times. I honestly think it's denial...as if I was probably hacking my lungs out for some other reason. She doesn't usually smoke quite so much, either, but I think she was very anxious. Which is no excuse for making me sick.

Dazey, he was a boxador - boxer/lab mix. The last dog we had for any length of time died about 16 years ago. She, too, was intelligent and personable, a spitz. We had two dogs between, a pedigreed lab who was too big and boisterous for my small children - we sold him after about a month - and a mixed breed that was a great dog, but she disappeared one day. She was an older dog that we'd only had her a few weeks.

I'm not discouraged...we'll look for another boxador in 6 months or so..after treating every square inch of our house and yard.

After the lab, I didn't want another dog. He was huge and way too energetic. He tore up everything, including all the screening out of my patio, dug massive holes in the yard and barked incessantly. The kids couldn't play with him, he just knocked them down. But we sold him to a guy who owned a big property near the zoo...so noise wouldn't be a factor.
Ginger!
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Posted 1:58pm September 23rd, 2009

Sheri,

I'm so very sorry to hear about your dog, and that he had to suffer before he passed away. There are two things that should never happen: babies suffering and pets suffering. They're both much more pitiful because they can't vocalize how they feel. I'm definitely a pet person, having had either multiple cats or dogs for the last 35 years. I've lost many, but have never regretted having any one of them. They improve your quality of life by their unconditional love.

May I ask how old he was and where you got him? He looks absolutely precious. How very sad. Please don't let that experience prevent you from getting another pet, though.

As for all the problems on your trip....it only strengthens my belief that 'there's noplace like home'

Your friend, however, needs to be a much more considerate smoker. I smoked for 25 years before quitting, but anytime I was around non-smokers I would either refrain from smoking or walk away from them when I did want to light up. There's absolutely no excuse for forcing your bad habit on someone else, especially when it's something that could harm them as much as you. It's completely selfish and downright mean.

Take care.

Ginger!
MissDazey
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Posted 11:21am September 23rd, 2009

What a time you had, I hope your friend appreciated all you went through for her. (how does her court case stand?) Bet you are glad to be a homebody for a few days now.

I'm sorry about your pup. He looks similar to my granddaughters mixed breed.

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...and then my dog died.

sherisaid