Working in veterinary medicine, it’s almost impossible to predict what is going to come through the door.
One vet clinic employee has taken to social media to share her frustration after a man brought his dog in to receive care for a problem he created.
In a video posted to TikTok that has drawn over 336,000 views, user @ginger_chicken says she had a man bring his dog in to receive care after being shot, leading to an unwelcome discovery about the dog’s home life.
“First thing this morning, a man comes in,” she says in the video. “He says, ‘Hey, my dog is in the car. He was shot. I need you to come look at him.’”
She says she looked at the dog and he was doing OK since his vitals are normal, calling him “lucky.”
A twist of events
After some back and forth with the would-be client, she says the man admitted to shooting his own dog.
“He says, ‘Well, I got mad, and I shot him. Then I felt bad so I brought him here.’ I’m sorry, you what?” Ginger says,
She continues, “Y’all. I don’t remember what I said, but I do remember saying You’re not going anywhere because I have to call the police and I have to call animal control.”
Ginger says the man attempted to leave the clinic, which is when their altercation got physical. He hit her in the eye, she says, and she fought back, causing him to vomit before police arrived.
Ginger shares how animal control took the dog to the local shelter and the man was arrested,
“I am so sick of people thinking they can just abuse their dogs and then drop them off at our [expletive] doorstep with no accountability,” she says.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @ginger_chicken via TikTok direct message regarding the video.
Is it illegal to shoot your own dog?
While it is legal in many cases for owners to take the life of a pet with a terminal or debilitating illness into their own hands with the advice of a veterinarian, it is generally illegal to shoot a healthy animal. In many jurisdictions, the act would be termed animal cruelty.
In most cases, if an owner does not want their dog, they are obligated to find it another home or surrender it to a shelter. These requirements vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Viewers thank her for her actions
Many viewers applauded the poster’s response to an owner who would shoot their own pet out of anger.
“This place better not EVER fire you,” one commenter wrote. “Everyone who works with animals needs to be like you. you actually CARE for these babies & will do anything for them literally. you stand up for them. & I love you.”
“You are the ONLY type of person who should work with animals,” another commenter wrote. “You have to come out swinging for them, a lot of those animals cannot defend themselves. Thank you for caring about them.”
“I think I’m most proud that your clinic doesn’t fire you,” a commenter wrote. “I know lots of places would even with the circumstances.”
@ginger_chicken I regret nothing #fyp #vetmed ♬ original sound – ginger_chicken
Several viewers wrote that experiences like these were actually quite common while working in veterinary clinics.
“People don’t believe me when I tell them working at a vet is a damn war zone,” one commenter wrote. “Pushed. Spit on. Had things thrown at me. Sworn at. Threatened. All of it. Called the police how many times? I left.”
“People don’t realize the abuse vet clinic workers have to endure. It’s why I’ll never return to the field,” another said. “‘Oh you play with puppies and kittens all day, you are so lucky.’ I WISH.”
“I worked in vet med for like 5 years and even though i never saw someone get hit, we had to call the cops multiple times because people will threaten your life over treatment estimates,” a user wrote.
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