The Story of Elba

Veenie and Sarah's vet adventures, volume 543! 

Veenie and I traveled the 8.7 miles to Hillside Vet Clinic yesterday because she had been projectile vomiting everything she had eaten for the past 24 hours. This post isn't about Veenie's health though, I have a million others of those from the past two months if you'd like to read them instead. 

No, this post is about this little old lady that I met at the vet yesterday. Veenie and I didn't have an appointment, so we had to just go in and sit and wait for an opening. Here lately, there is nothing I cherish more than just sitting with Veenie doing nothing, so I was happy to sit and wait as long as was necessary. Veenie hopped up into my lap and sat down quietly while every other dog in the joint was going nuts. 

I sat down next to this little old lady with a walker and a purple nightgown on. I never got her name but we will call her Elba. (I dunno... Elba seems fitting). 

Elba watches as Veenie hops into my lap and quietly twirls around to get comfortable, then plops down. Elba leans over to me and says, "Wow, she's so calm and quiet. So well trained!" 

If this were a cartoon, and I had milk in my mouth, I would have spit that milk all over the floor from laughing so hard at the "so well trained" comment. Veenie is the exact opposite of trained, but she wasn't feeling so hot so I guess, to Elba, she seemed like an angel. 

Elba leaned over and told me she used to have a teeny tiny Pomeranian who would snuggle in her lap the way Veenie was snuggling in mine. Elba said she wanted nothing more than to snuggle her Pomeranian in her arms. I of course had already noticed this, but Elba did not have an animal with her. 

As Veenie and I sat waiting, Elba and I chatted about all of the big dogs that were there that day. Elba told me that she was petrified of the large ones and I told her I could certainly understand that, but they're usually sweeter and more snuggly than the small ones! 

A poodle walked out and Elba got a little emotional. 

She told me she also had a tiny poodle pup that was best friends with her Pomeranian. She then said, "I want another dog so bad, but they all die and I cant' take it. I cry every day, I cry so much. I want another one but I can't cry any more. I wish they'd all just live forever, but they don't." 

Man oh man. As someone who has spent the last 2 solid months paranoid and petrified of losing Veenie, that really got me. That was so so terribly sad. 

Elba stretched her hand out to pet Veenie's head, and Veenie offered Elba her paw in the sweetest possible display of affection. Elba then insisted that Veenie come home with her. I giggled, then thought, wait, is Elba here just to watch puppies come and go? 

I asked her where her animal was, and she launched back into the story of her Pomeranian and Poodle. I didn't want to confuse her or anything, so I let it go but felt insanely sad that she came to the vet's office just to watch puppies come and go. I told Elba about a story I had read online where shelter doggies go visit nursing homes, and how beneficial it is for all parties involved. 

She told me how lonely she was without her babies around anymore. 

I heard the name "VENUS" called and I told Elba how much I had enjoyed talking to her, and that she could take Veenie home if she paid the outstanding bill at the end of the visit. 

Later that night I thought about what she said, about wanting another pup so bad, but not being able to take the grief that will come along with it one day. As much as I adored Elba, that is not how I feel. No matter if I have Veenie for 14 more years, or if it's 14 more hours (lord help me) I would have adopted her again and again and again. That dog brings me pure joy, every single day of my life. I'd take her and General, grief and all, again and again and again. 

When I came out, Elba was gone. I asked the receptionist if the lady with the walker came by everyday. She told me, "Oh, No!! She was with her daughter who had a cat that was getting microchipped!" 

I left with Veenie, relieved that Elba was loved.