Veterinarians, what’s your most memorable day on the job?

A Life Saved and a Bond Formed

I nursed a puppy back to life and adopted him. He became my best friend but then he went missing.

I found him in terrible condition and with a life-threatening disease. I’m a veterinarian and one day while getting ready to go home a staff member brought in a huge trash bag.

She opened it up and revealed a puppy inside. “We found him in a dumpster just like this,” she told me.

I examined him and saw that despite being malnourished, having infected wounds, broken bones, and a dangerously low body temperature, he was alive.

I rushed him to the operating room and started performing surgery. The procedure was EXT ex difficult but thankfully it was a success.

In the following days, I took on the brunt of his care. Over the course of just a few days, the puppy and I developed a bond.

He even started wagging his tail weakly when I came around. The first time he licked my face after I fed him, I knew I had to adopt him.

I brought home my newest friend that day and named him Zeus. That same day, I set up a cozy little corner for him in my living room.

I decorated the corner with a red and green bed that had his name on it next to a basket of toys.

But the moment we walked through the door, Zeus made it clear that he wasn’t interested in staying in his Corner.

He barked and cried whenever I placed him in his bed. At night time, he wanted to be wherever I was.

If I was in the kitchen, he was right there beside me. If I were on the couch, he’d snuggle up next to me.

When it was time for bed, his Cozy Corner went untouched. He preferred to sleep right at the foot of my bed and kept an eye on me.

The first time I left him alone to go to work, I was a nervous wreck. I knew he was safe at home, but I couldn’t help worrying about him all day.

As soon as my shift ended, I rushed home only to find Zeus waiting at the door, tail wagging furiously as if to say, “Where have you been?”

From that day on, he’d greet me at the door every evening. No matter how stressful my day had been, seeing Zeus always made it better.

Zeus’s energy continued to grow as he healed. Soon he was bounding around the house like a puppy should.

It was great to see him full of life, but he also started developing curiosity like a puppy.

He would sometimes dig in the trash can or rummage through my closet and organize my shoes. I understood he was learning with this new strength he had.

I knew I had to let him get some of the energy out. We started going to the park together and Zeus loved every minute of it.

He’d chase after squirrels, play with other dogs, and run circles around me until we were both exhausted. It was incredible to see how far he’d come.

However, there was one major encounter which I really did not like. Zeus was a very friendly dog.

Oftentimes, when I’d throw a ball for him to go catch, he’d run too fast or get way too excited. He would fail to slow down in time and crash into the shin of a passerby.

Most of the time, people didn’t mind. They’d pet him and laugh or look up at me and signal what a cute dog he was.

Well, that was until he crashed into a total Karen. As soon as he lightly impacted her leg, she tried to kick Zeus, and not just once but twice.

The second kick connected and I heard him Yelp. I instantly rushed over and started asking her what the hell was wrong with her.

She started yelling at me that I need to put the dog down because it clearly cannot behave normally.

We ended up getting into a huge argument. Throughout the course of the argument, Karen raised her hand almost as if she was about to schlap me.

That’s when Zeus started growling aggressively while looking at her and showing his canines. She put her hand down and walked off.

That’s a core memory of mine with Zeus, one that proved our bond.