Anyone with a pet knows the struggles associated with the dreaded vet; animals just seem to have this sixth sense that we’re about to take them to their least favourite place in the entire world.
And it’s not like we can make them understand that we’re trying to help them. Oh no, to them, in that 10 minute journey to hell we are the enemy and are to be avoided at all costs.
Unless, of course, you’re one of the lucky ones whose pet actually doesn’t mind the vets that much – which, although it sounds unrealistic, does happen on the odd occasion. Like this one, when a dog thought she was at the vets purely to receive some hugs.
The dog was visiting the emergency animal hospital to have some blood taken, but seemed unbothered by this turn of events and instead was just enjoying the cuddles she received afterwards.
The veterinary technician, Kayleen Campbell, was in the middle of a hectic day when she went to treat the dog – but she was soon distracted when her patient decided to make the most of her appointment.
Kayleen wrote on Reddit:
We have to hold off the jugular vein after drawing blood, but this sweet old girl thought I was just there for the hugs… this is why I love my job
As reported by The Dodo, the dog – who was between 12 and 13 years old – wasn’t fussed that the vet was holding her so closely; she was just in it for the hugs.
The veterinary technician explained further down in the post that the jugular vein is the most preferred place to draw from in veterinary medicine, as it allows vets to draw blood quickly without using the veins in the front legs – which may be needed for IV catheters.
Kayleen told The Dodo:
Holding the vein off usually only takes a short amount of time, but this sweet old girl kept leaning back into me and thought I was just there to give her love and attention, which I was happy to give.
The veterinary technician admitted this wasn’t a common reaction from most dogs, mostly because a lot of them usually won’t sit still for a prolonged period of time in such a hectic place.
I can fully vouch for this; every trip to the vets with my dog has resulted either in him trying his very best to escape by dragging us (and his lead) forcefully towards the door and/or doing his business on the floor.
Last time, it took the poor vet about 10 minutes just to weigh him because he refused to stand still on the scales for five seconds. And don’t even get me started on trying to groom him.
This dog though, was the complete opposite and distracted Kayleen long enough for her co-worker to secretly take a few photos of the adorable moment.
Well, looks like I’m handing my notice in and becoming a vet…
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).