No, really; it never ends.
Jan. 17th, 2008 07:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
la_belle_laideAn out of control Great Dane killed our cockatoo Emily today. Emily has been with the hospital since Dr. Rob was hired there in '92. (He's since taken over the practice.) She was his bird but she lived at the hospital and was more or less everyone's. She was a wicked thing who would nuzzle you one second and then bite your arm the next, and I can't count how many times she sank her nasty little beak into my arm and I would fling her off me, shouting, "One day you're going to get eaten by a dog, Emily!"
I had a terrible feeling when the owners came for the dog and the littlest employee, a kewpie doll named Scooter, took the leash. this dog had almost broken my hip and my knee the other day lunging for Emily as she sat on her usual little perch in the lab. I managed to pull him back but the dog was incredibly strong. I asked Scooter, "Are you sure you can handle this dog? He's really strong; he'll drag you wherever he wants to go." She said she was all right with him. "Are you sure?" I asked. "He's not a good dog, and he's huge." She told me, "It's okay, I've got him."
She hadn't even rounded the corner to the lab when I saw her legs go out from under her and then one of the techs was screaming, "Get it off of her! Get it off of her!" and I heard Emily screaming. I was just thinking, "Let him have her by the wing, at least, she can live without her wing."
But he had her by the head, and she was still screaming with her head in his mouth, trying to beat her wings against his face. Two techs, two assistants and Scooter were all wrestling with the dog, but he planted himself in a sitting position and clamped his jaws. They were screaming at him and trying to wrestle him to the ground.
I didn't know what else to do so I shoved my fingers into his mouth where I could feel Emily's beak and I tried to pry his mouth open. I'm pretty strong and I was really jacked up with adrenaline and I still couldn't get his mouth to open. I just started yelling, "Somebody help me open his stupid mouth!" and probably a lot of cursing; I don't remember. Then one of the receptionists tried throwing some water on him and that didn't work. Then another assistant came over and tried helping me get his mouth open. Finally we loosened his jaw enough so that he dropped Emily to the floor and she just lay there, still trying to flap her wings for a second.
Dan, another one of the vets, came in as I was picking Emily up off the floor and I handed her over to him. He took her into the OR and even got her intubated but it was a ridiculous effort because her entire neck was already crushed: her bones, her crop, everything.
It's weird, I have bruises on my hand where the dog's teeth went, but I also have bruises and teeth marks on my left hand, and his teeth were nowhere hear there from what I remember. I'm trying to think if he bit me after the fact but he couldn't possibly have because once he dropped Emily I picked her up in my left hand. I don't remember what happened. Which is so strange because I remember everything else.
I didn't even get along with the bird but everytime I close my eyes I see her poor little wings trying to beat against the Great Dane's face. It's even worse because this was Emily's home, she felt safe there and it shouldn't have happened. She never saw it coming; she had no fear of dogs because dogs have never attacked her before. I've seen some awful stuff in the time that I've worked there and this isn't even the worst of it, but I guess it feels worse because she was our bird, and because it was so sudden and so shocking.
Rob thanked me for sticking my hand in the dog's mouth and he told Scooter that it wasn't her fault (it totally wasn't,) but other than that he seemed kind of "Well, whatever." I'll bet you he's going to be upset later, though.
I'm sorry; this is such a downer but I had to write it all out because that makes it easier. Sorry to lay this all at your doors. It's the kind of thing that just stays with you, you know what I mean? Poor little Emily with her useless little wings trying to get out of the jaws of a Great Dane.
Okay, I've written enough and I'm really sorry. I just had to get it out of my head and into words. I'm sorry.
I had a terrible feeling when the owners came for the dog and the littlest employee, a kewpie doll named Scooter, took the leash. this dog had almost broken my hip and my knee the other day lunging for Emily as she sat on her usual little perch in the lab. I managed to pull him back but the dog was incredibly strong. I asked Scooter, "Are you sure you can handle this dog? He's really strong; he'll drag you wherever he wants to go." She said she was all right with him. "Are you sure?" I asked. "He's not a good dog, and he's huge." She told me, "It's okay, I've got him."
She hadn't even rounded the corner to the lab when I saw her legs go out from under her and then one of the techs was screaming, "Get it off of her! Get it off of her!" and I heard Emily screaming. I was just thinking, "Let him have her by the wing, at least, she can live without her wing."
But he had her by the head, and she was still screaming with her head in his mouth, trying to beat her wings against his face. Two techs, two assistants and Scooter were all wrestling with the dog, but he planted himself in a sitting position and clamped his jaws. They were screaming at him and trying to wrestle him to the ground.
I didn't know what else to do so I shoved my fingers into his mouth where I could feel Emily's beak and I tried to pry his mouth open. I'm pretty strong and I was really jacked up with adrenaline and I still couldn't get his mouth to open. I just started yelling, "Somebody help me open his stupid mouth!" and probably a lot of cursing; I don't remember. Then one of the receptionists tried throwing some water on him and that didn't work. Then another assistant came over and tried helping me get his mouth open. Finally we loosened his jaw enough so that he dropped Emily to the floor and she just lay there, still trying to flap her wings for a second.
Dan, another one of the vets, came in as I was picking Emily up off the floor and I handed her over to him. He took her into the OR and even got her intubated but it was a ridiculous effort because her entire neck was already crushed: her bones, her crop, everything.
It's weird, I have bruises on my hand where the dog's teeth went, but I also have bruises and teeth marks on my left hand, and his teeth were nowhere hear there from what I remember. I'm trying to think if he bit me after the fact but he couldn't possibly have because once he dropped Emily I picked her up in my left hand. I don't remember what happened. Which is so strange because I remember everything else.
I didn't even get along with the bird but everytime I close my eyes I see her poor little wings trying to beat against the Great Dane's face. It's even worse because this was Emily's home, she felt safe there and it shouldn't have happened. She never saw it coming; she had no fear of dogs because dogs have never attacked her before. I've seen some awful stuff in the time that I've worked there and this isn't even the worst of it, but I guess it feels worse because she was our bird, and because it was so sudden and so shocking.
Rob thanked me for sticking my hand in the dog's mouth and he told Scooter that it wasn't her fault (it totally wasn't,) but other than that he seemed kind of "Well, whatever." I'll bet you he's going to be upset later, though.
I'm sorry; this is such a downer but I had to write it all out because that makes it easier. Sorry to lay this all at your doors. It's the kind of thing that just stays with you, you know what I mean? Poor little Emily with her useless little wings trying to get out of the jaws of a Great Dane.
Okay, I've written enough and I'm really sorry. I just had to get it out of my head and into words. I'm sorry.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 02:26 am (UTC)It's ok. That was a horrible thing to go through and not get it out somehow. I'm sorry hun.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 02:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 03:19 am (UTC)And hey, don't apologize. This's your journal. If we don't like it, we don't need to read it.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 04:05 am (UTC)But something good has got to happen! I mean, it has to even out. So when it does happen, it's going to be mind-numbingly awesome. ^_^
no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 04:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 03:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 04:04 am (UTC)Hey, I hope your fish is doing better? I haven't checked my f-list yet but I was thinking about your fish today.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 12:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 04:17 am (UTC)I noticed a few months ago that insurance companies are adding Great Danes to their canis non grata lists. A pity that people take on big dogs without ever learning how to train or care for them properly.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 09:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-18 09:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-28 10:01 am (UTC)Congratulations on your belt advancement. (sorry, I haven't been on LJ in ages. Really. I haven't been on LJ at all in ages, so I'm pretty behind on everything.)
no subject
Date: 2008-01-28 06:57 pm (UTC)*squeezes you so freaking hard*