10 Jan 2024
In her first post of 2024 Jane Davidson finds herself at the mercy of many an RVN’s nemesis, whose cheerful smile and friendly demeanour belie the suffering and torment he has exacted upon many an innocent victim.
Jane Davidson
Job Title
Image © Mara Louvain / Adobe Stock
Happy new everything!
As a currently dogless person, I had a great start to 2024 while dog sitting the most beautiful boy, Bentley. We hung out and liked the same things (short walks, pubs, naps, snuggles) – in fact we discovered that a short walk to the pub, then home for snuggles and a nap was our mutual idea of perfection.
We spent a few weeks perfecting our napping positions on the sofa, and I saw in 2024 tucked up in bed – only to be woken at 1am and 3am as something had upset Bentley.
Bleary eyed on the first day of the year, I felt the urge to tidy up (a normal feeling for me on New Year’s Day), but as I was staying at Bentley’s house, I had to clean there instead. The kitchen and bathroom were fine, with nice cleaning products and easy spaces to clean. I did a little laundry and checked for Bentley’s treat stashes around his bed, tricking him with a chew while I swept the dusty treats into the bin. Mission accomplished!
Then, with the work surfaces cleaned down, treats found and dispensed with, there were just the floors to deal with. Much to my delight I found a rubber bristled broom, a cleaning item that always makes my heart sing – perfect for hard floors and sweeping up dog hair.
As I set to sweeping the floor, the volume of treats and dog hair snuck into corners and under chairs increased and I realised that sweeping alone was not going to do the job. I was going to need a vacuum cleaner. Now, I hadn’t seen one during my cleaning spree so far, so I had a hunt in a couple of places. And that’s when it happened…
My heart stopped, then sank; sank deep into the pile of treats and dog hair…
Because when I did find the vacuum cleaner, my high from the rubber bristled broom was replaced – nay, removed and stamped on – as there, sat staring at me, was Henry. The nemesis of every vet nurse’s late shift or night shift, sat innocently, as if he wasn’t about to use his 360-degree castors and small black wheels to fall over at the first sight of a corner or a pile of fluff.
My memories of vacuuming in clinic with a Henry did not fill me with delight at the thought of using one when not at work – but it was a new year and I aimed to remain open minded.
Henry tried my patience. There was a bit of spinning in the kitchen and an attempt to topple over when faced with the kitchen island, but we persevered and he valiantly vacuumed up the dog treats like a pro. However, while Henry obviously has a fondness for dog treats and hard floors, the living room carpet defeated him immediately.
As such, 2024 will ultimately remain a Henry-free year for me. Luckily, I found another vacuum cleaner for the carpet, which I bonded with like I never could with Henry.
