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Responsibility
Jul. 12th, 2006 10:27 amIt's been a long time since I've had a serious rant about my profession and the issues I encounter in day-to-day work; I think it's time to write one.
Let me make something clear first, though. I have no problem with people bringing their children along when they take their pets to the vet. The kids are usually quite well-behaved, at least as often as the adults are, and I understand that having children means taking them places with you. I also have no problem with children having pets. As long as the child is interested and mature enough, and a mature and responsible adult is available for supervision and backup, it can be a wonderful experience, a source of companionship, and a chance to learn.
Notice, however, the caveats there.
I've noticed a disturbing trend over the past year or so. More and more often, a client will show up for an appointment with a sick animal and a child in tow - said child usually, in these situations, between the ages of six and twelve. The adult will then proceed to sigh boredly, stare at the walls, roll their eyes, and generally ignore me as aggressively as possible while I examine the animal, try to explain my findings, and go over the treatment necessary. Eventually, when I ask them to please pay attention while I explain the medications, the adult will sigh again, give me a venomous look, and say, 'Don't look at me, I ain't the one gonna be doing this. That's HIS job,' while jerking a thumb at the child. Said child will usually then interrupt their own personal efforts at wall-staring to grin nervously at me.
Children do need responsibilities, I'll agree. A child can even be given responsibility for feeding and walking a pet. I can even understand asking a child to help take care of a sick pet. But putting the entire responsibility for treatment upon them is bordering on neglect of both the pet and the child, in my eyes. And asking them to understand and remember everything is absurd, especially when their role model is an adult who can't even remember what is involved in the basic daily care of the animal - most of these owners are the sort that, when I ask them what the dog or cat is being fed, respond with as blank and boggled a stare as if I had just asked them to name the Gross National Product of WhatTheFuckistan.
This is, of course, not even considering the fact that some acts of medicating animals are physically challenging enough to require someone with the size, strength, and dexterity of a full-grown adult, and that asking a child to do it can result in injury to either kid or pet. Or the fact that, wheb teaching your child responsibility, it is fairly hypocritical to do so by risking the health, comfort, and possibly life of another living being to prove your point. I'm not a parent, so I know my opinions don't carry quite as much weight, but I'd think kids just might learn responsibility better from a positive role model than from someone who tosses them in the pantry with a poodle and a bottle of ear cleaner while they wander off on other errands. I'm sure there are at least a few children who can adapt to this and learn well and become good, responsible pet owners, but something tells me they're the exception, rather than the rule.
I usually try to have a witty ending for these rants, or at least a passionate and eloquent one, but I can't think of something like that for this. I have no idea of quite how to respond when people tell me this - I keep trying to communicate somehow with the adult, but most of them will do their best to avoid any eye contact or active listening. I write instructions down, but they get crumpled and ignored. And while I'll happily talk to the children, I don't feel like I'm serving the patient's best interests that way.
Bleah. I just don't know.
Let me make something clear first, though. I have no problem with people bringing their children along when they take their pets to the vet. The kids are usually quite well-behaved, at least as often as the adults are, and I understand that having children means taking them places with you. I also have no problem with children having pets. As long as the child is interested and mature enough, and a mature and responsible adult is available for supervision and backup, it can be a wonderful experience, a source of companionship, and a chance to learn.
Notice, however, the caveats there.
I've noticed a disturbing trend over the past year or so. More and more often, a client will show up for an appointment with a sick animal and a child in tow - said child usually, in these situations, between the ages of six and twelve. The adult will then proceed to sigh boredly, stare at the walls, roll their eyes, and generally ignore me as aggressively as possible while I examine the animal, try to explain my findings, and go over the treatment necessary. Eventually, when I ask them to please pay attention while I explain the medications, the adult will sigh again, give me a venomous look, and say, 'Don't look at me, I ain't the one gonna be doing this. That's HIS job,' while jerking a thumb at the child. Said child will usually then interrupt their own personal efforts at wall-staring to grin nervously at me.
Children do need responsibilities, I'll agree. A child can even be given responsibility for feeding and walking a pet. I can even understand asking a child to help take care of a sick pet. But putting the entire responsibility for treatment upon them is bordering on neglect of both the pet and the child, in my eyes. And asking them to understand and remember everything is absurd, especially when their role model is an adult who can't even remember what is involved in the basic daily care of the animal - most of these owners are the sort that, when I ask them what the dog or cat is being fed, respond with as blank and boggled a stare as if I had just asked them to name the Gross National Product of WhatTheFuckistan.
This is, of course, not even considering the fact that some acts of medicating animals are physically challenging enough to require someone with the size, strength, and dexterity of a full-grown adult, and that asking a child to do it can result in injury to either kid or pet. Or the fact that, wheb teaching your child responsibility, it is fairly hypocritical to do so by risking the health, comfort, and possibly life of another living being to prove your point. I'm not a parent, so I know my opinions don't carry quite as much weight, but I'd think kids just might learn responsibility better from a positive role model than from someone who tosses them in the pantry with a poodle and a bottle of ear cleaner while they wander off on other errands. I'm sure there are at least a few children who can adapt to this and learn well and become good, responsible pet owners, but something tells me they're the exception, rather than the rule.
I usually try to have a witty ending for these rants, or at least a passionate and eloquent one, but I can't think of something like that for this. I have no idea of quite how to respond when people tell me this - I keep trying to communicate somehow with the adult, but most of them will do their best to avoid any eye contact or active listening. I write instructions down, but they get crumpled and ignored. And while I'll happily talk to the children, I don't feel like I'm serving the patient's best interests that way.
Bleah. I just don't know.
