The "Not So Discounted" Rate

Me and Charlie - before. 



 Last Thursday, like a responsible pet owner, I took my little guy, Charlie, to the veterinarian for his "procedure" - the dirty deed, the necessary act................snip, snip. 

This was the first time that I had experienced being the adult "in charge" of making such a decision.  Our last male dog was adopted, and the animal rescue agency had already taken care of "the problem".

I felt really bad, taking him in.

Little did he know, as I opened the heavy, glass door to the veterinary clinic,  that when we would exit through that very same door the next morning, his leg humping days would be over. 

Little did he know that his beach romance with the old girl, Snickers, or his romping around with Dexter, the Jack Russell Terrier (and yes, a MALE dog ) would be his last. 

Even his stuffed lion, with whom Charlie has been quite intimate, may start to feel neglected.

Before making the appointment for Charlie, I shopped around for estimates.  The quote that my current veterinarian had given me was quite high, and I wanted to look at other options.  A friend of mine suggested  contacting the SPCA (Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), to possibly receive a discounted rate, which I did.  SPCA referred me to Spay, Inc., who gave me a list of participating veterinarians, with discounted rates.  It looked like I would be saving a couple hundred dollars.

When I brought Charlie into the vet, that Thursday morning, the young girls at the front desk were quite friendly and attentive.  One of the girls whisked Charlie away, to begin all of the pre-surgery tests, while the other began pleasantly putting forms in front of my face. 

I say "forms", but they were more like "menus".

The first "menu" offered the different types of pre-surgery blood work.  I can't remember the specific words that were used to describe the choices, but to me, it read like this:

Choice A - You care A LOT about your pet...............$$$ 

Choice B -  You care VERY LITTLE about your pet...............$

Choice C -  YOU COULD CARE LESS about your pet................$0.00     

The second "menu" offered the different options of sedatives and fluid amounts provided to your pet, during surgery.

Again, this is what it looked like, to me:

Choice A - You care A LOT about your pet, and would not want him to be in any pain......................$$$

Choice B - You care about your pet, but are willing to bet that he will not need any extra fluids or       sedatives............................................................................................$

Choice C -  You not only could CARE LESS about your pet, but would like your pet to be TORTURED.....................................$0.00


I stared at these papers for a good five minutes, at least, realizing that my "discounted rate", was about to go up with each signature, and check of a box.  The important thing was that I be able to walk away from those forms with a clear conscience, so I made my choices......................... and walked away.

The next day, when I walked through the heavy, glass door to the veterinary clinic, anxious to see my little guy, the friendly and attentive young girls (with new faces) greeted me with.................. my bill.    

At least I was prepared. 

When I had left the day before, I laughed to myself, realizing that I could end up spending as much money with the "discounted rate", as I would have with the original quote that my veterinarian had given me.

As I looked past all of the numbers on the page, quickly finding the one next to "total", I smirked. 

I saved a total of...........................$50.00.

Just as I finished paying the bill, Charlie came barreling around the corner to greet me, looking and behaving no differently than the day before.  So much so, that I had to check to make sure that they had performed  the procedure at all.

Sure enough, he was definitely "lacking" between the legs.

Poor guy. 

We said our good-byes, and exited through the same heavy, glass door, through which we had entered, where Charlie quickly squated, taking what appeared to be the longest, most pleasurable pee..............................ever,

RIGHT THERE ON THE PAVEMENT.

As I watched the giant puddle...............growing around him, I realized two things: 

1)   He must have been holding in all of those fluids that he had received during surgery, and .............

2)  I wonder if I should go back in and tell someone that Charlie had just peed dollar signs all over the pavement.