Duty of Care

We got our new dog today in the hospital. A nurse snuck it in a bag and walked inside the wards and got us to take it out. The dog was quiet although a little restless. Dogs are not allowed in hospitals. As we walked out with it, it suddenly popped its head out, forcing Marlo and I to push its head back into the bag. However, its head and paws were covered with feces, which resulted in us having handfuls of warm slobbery shit. Apparently 'Leila' shat in the bag and wanted a breathe of fresh air.

We power turbo walked out the hospital - at this point it was impossible to hide Leila's head and it was unhygienic for fecal matter to drip from our hands. We would be in serious trouble if the security cameras were able to identify who we are and took action against us. We stopped halfway towards Marlo's car and washed the poo-filled bag with water, and I tried to wipe the immediate fecal matter from our hands and Leila.

We put Leila back into the bag and we put her into the car. The car smelt like dog shit literally. The dog crept out of the wet bag during the ride and I was forced to hold it onto my lap to prevent it from interfering Marlo from driving. My pants were covered with wet fecal matter and Marlo's car probably needs some professional washing right now.

As we traveled on I wiped the dog gently with tissue whilst keeping her from jumping anywhere. It felt like eternity in that car ride... as friends who have driven me in their cars would/should know; I get car sick pretty easily.

I started to worry when the dog got a bit tachycardic and appeared lethargic. We stopped at a park near my place and the dog couldn't even walk straight. It was dizzy from carsickness. Marlo got it home straight after and got home and changed.

I then sat down on my bed and suddenly the reality of it all came crashing down on me. Owning a dog is a great responsibility. This is not like the other pets which I owned. It's not a Tamagotchi, not a Neopet, not a goldfish. This is a living breathing mammal, entrusted to us by its owner. We only took control of it for 1 hour and chaos erupted. I lost my confidence right after - how can i take care of this beautiful dog if I can't even take care of myself?

Yes, I am scared, but can't back down now. I have to fulfill my responsibility and make sure Leila gets the best a dog can get. This may not be as realistic as having a first born child, but at least now I am able to appreciate the pressure and the responsibility that one goes through when becoming a caretaker.