Abandoned pup now vet’s best friend
MY name is Juno, and I’m a vet’s dog. My story begins in Northern Ireland, where as a pup, I was left on the side of a road in a thunderstorm. Hours later, drenched and in a state of shock, I was found by a family and brought into a local vet’s clinic.
Here, I not only found my forever person, Laura — but I also found my life’s calling.
Laura was a vet student seeing veterinary practice there. She and I immediately connected, and from there I pursued her life’s passion alongside her — literally. She carried me in her backpack to all her vet lectures at UCD and then after she qualified, we crossed the ocean to America.
Once there, I came into my own as a vet’s dog, finding I could often detect illness and pain in our patients before Laura could.
I think this is most likely due to my heightened canine senses and intuition, of which humans seem to have little, even my Laura.
On her night shifts in Miami during her medicine and surgery internship I was at her heels every step of the way — from seizing ferrets and ridiculous raccoons getting their heads stuck in tin cans, to dogs eating entire chess sets due to anxiety!
And that poor dwarf hamster, Milly, who accidentally got sucked up into a vacuum cleaner on Christmas Eve! Oh, the antics of small animal veterinary medicine... but I’m digressing.
We then travelled up to Philadelphia for a few years — and are now back again in Ireland, specifically the county of Galway.
We settled beside a little sheep farm, where lambing season is particularly exciting; midnight C-sections and hundreds of little lambs getting into the most heinous situations.
I’ve found I have a proclivity for sheep farming, especially after that time I single-pawedly coached Marigold through her birth of lamb triplets last year. (I’m currently working on my personal memoirs regarding our veterinary adventures, so watch this space!)
Yes, we’re busy, but we’re following a calling. I’m 11 years old, and not getting any more pup-like — but as a terrier I’ll hopefully be blessed with longevity.
The longer I’m in this world to assist Laura, the more good we can do for all creatures, great and small.
If you would like your pet featured in this column please send a story of 440 words and a photograph to snews@independent.ie clearly labelled MY PET