We Danced by Jeff Erno

Author:Jeff Erno [Erno, Jeff]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi

Chapter 8

UNDERSTANDABLY Josh was experiencing jitters on his first day at the clinic. Although he was confident that he had the knowledge and the animal-handling experience that he needed to perform the job well, he just wasn’t sure how well he’d be received by the community. He quickly discovered that the clinic was not all that different from the grocery store. The clientele was quite warm and welcoming, and most were eager to interact with him.

“Mrs. Newson, Bunny is an adorable dog, I’ve gotta say,” he said to the elderly lady who sat on a folding chair next to his examining table. He’d just finished looking over her English bulldog.

“Why thank you,” she said.

“Ma’am, I have to ask you something, and I hope y’all won’t be offended.”

She raised her hand to her chest. “Well no, you go ahead and ask whatever you need to know.”

“You are not feeding Bunny any chocolate, are you?”

She blushed slightly, uncrossing and then re-crossing her legs. “No, not in any large amounts, but… well, she does love a little treat now and then.”

“Mrs. Newson, I know how much you love Bunny, and I know you want to show your love to her by giving her a treat, but let me ask you something.” Mrs. Newson smiled and nodded. “Would you feed a small child poison to reward them?”

“Why, of course not,” she said.

“I’m afraid that when you give Bunny chocolate, that is exactly what you’re doing. Dogs cannot tolerate chocolate. I don’t want to get too technical with you here, but let me try to explain it. When a human eats chocolate, they get a little rush from it. It contains caffeine and some other ingredients which sort of give them a high. When a canine consumes chocolate, they are different, and their bodies do not metabolize these chemicals quickly enough.”

She stared at him, confused.

“Mrs. Newson, giving Bunny chocolate could kill her.”

She gasped, holding one hand over her mouth.

“Bunny already has an elevated heart rate, and she is very fidgety. If you continue to give her chocolate, she may start vomiting. She may have seizures, and she may even die.”

“Oh dear, but I only give her one little tiny piece of chocolate every night. She just loves the Hershey’s dark chocolate mini candy bars, and she’s so cute the way she gobbles them up.”

Josh stepped over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I know you would never harm Bunny on purpose, Mrs. Newson. It is so obvious how much you love her, and she really loves you too. Will you let me give you some treats to take home with you? They will be much better for Bunny than the chocolate, and you know what? I bet she will like them even more.”

“Do you think?” Mrs. Newson asked.

“Here,” he said as he opened the drawer behind him and took out a dog treat, handing it to her. “See how she likes this.”

Mrs. Newson held the treat out for Bunny, who eagerly gobbled it up.

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