A Grateful Patient
I took a job as a receptionist for a vet almost five decades ago. As a keen animal lover, I accepted the position on the condition that I wouldn't have to assist with any wounded animals. I couldn't1to see any creature in pain.
At the end of my first week, we were closing the office for the day when a young man ran up to us holding a severely 2Doberman Pinscher puppy(杜宾幼犬) in his arms and3 us to save his life. The four-month-old puppy had been hit by a car.
The vet and Iran back into the 4room. It was hurt badly. The only place the skin was still attached to this poor little animal's body was around one shoulder. The vet worked tirelessly for what seemed like hours, sewing him back together again. That was the easy part. The puppy had broken too many bones, including his spine(脊柱). Even if he 5 the next few days, we were quite sure he would never walk again.
That day forever changed my life. The vet instructed me, and I became his 6 in all things medical. One of my first jobs was to give that Doberman puppy daily physical 7. I remember moving his tiny legs to try to keep his muscles from withering(萎缩).
Weeks went by until one day, I felt this little fighter push back ever so 8. And he continued to push back till he could finally use his legs. It 9.
Fast-forward about a year, I walked into the clinic's crowded waiting room and called the name of the next client. Suddenly, a(n) 10 Doberman who had been standing quietly with his owner on the opposite side of the room11 loose and rushed toward me. I found myself 12 against the wall with this magnificent dog standing on his hind legs, his front paws on my shoulders,13 my face with plentiful and joyful kisses!
I still tear up in amazement at the display of love and 14 the dog had for me that day all those years ago. I 15to be a vet technician for14 years, and since retirement, I've volunteered at a no-kill animal shelter. In all the time that has passed and all the experiences I have had, I've never met a dog who didn't know that it had been rescued in one way or another.
