This week hasn’t gone quite as anticipated (when do they ever?) thanks to the adventures of our beloved family dog, Oscar. Oscar joined us as an eight week old puppy in the summer of 2020 (yes a pandemic puppy) and has given us much joy in the last three years but this week rammed home the responsibilities and anxieties of being a pet owner.
The bank holiday weekend coupled with sun shining was the perfect excuse for a BBQ with friends on Sunday. To balance out the vast quantities of sausages, I decided that cooking corn on the cobs would be a good thing. Unfortunately, Oscar managed to swipe one – a bad thing as they get stuck – and it disappeared in a flash.
The out of hours vet couldn’t ‘retrieve’ it and sent us home with instructions to monitor him closely. Having checked the garden and all his other hiding places (in case he hadn’t swallowed it), and inspected his poops, Tuesday arrived and there was still no sign of said corn on the cob in any shape or form. Back to the regular vet for another (inconclusive) scan followed by a sleepless night later when I had convinced myself in the early hours that he was going to die, Wednesday saw us back at the vet again. Another scan and then they decided to ‘unzip’ him and go in – and the offending ‘cob’ was retrieved. All is well and he is now at home recovering with the ‘cone of shame’ and a shaved tummy to show for it all.
What this episode brought home to me again is how lucky I am to work in an environment where it is absolutely ok to share these dramas (or the existence of a drama if not the detail) with colleagues and managerswithout being judged as ‘unprofessional’ – and there was a steady stream of supportive check-ins along the way.
If you are having a difficult time (exams are here with a vengeance and holidays are not always a time for family harmony!), there is support here at Mole Valley from a variety of sources – your line manager in a 1:1, our mental health first aiders, occupational health or our Employee Assistance Programme, which is confidential and available 24/7. Details are on Molly.
On a cheerier note, when Oscar is back to his normal tigger-like self and now that summer seems to have arrived, a few of us are hoping to get together for a social dog-walk one evening somewhere in beautiful Mole Valley (hopefully with a pub stop along the route).
Take care
Emma
1 Comment
Get well soon, Oscar!