Why I Took My Daughter to the Vet

When Anne-with-an-e was twelve or thirteen years old, she wanted to be a veterinarian. For awhile, she daily watched Emergency Vets, an Animal Planet reality show that followed the vets at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital. Our whole family grew familiar with Dr. Fitzgerald, Dr. Knor, and that guy who got the cat stuck on his hand (and that would be Dr. Fiddler, Anne tells me.) Emergency Vets became part of our homeschooling lore.

When we planned the RMCHEC trip and decided the whole family would go, Anne mentioned that Alameda East was in Denver. She thought it would be fun to drive by and see the hospital in person. It turned out that hospital was within ten minutes of our hotel.

I thought we should do more than drive by -- I suggested we go in and say hello and grab a brochure that could become a little bit of scrapbook fodder. Anne felt a little silly about it, but we parked, and took this picture:

Then we headed inside. Anne (a little shyly) told the woman at the front desk that she used to be a big fan of the show, and she just wondered if she could have a brochure or something. The receptionist said she'd be happy to grab one for her and asked if we could wait just a minute. 

So, we sat down, Atticus stepped outside (because the man can't stand air conditioning and escapes it every chance he gets) and we girls chatted. After a bit, the (incredibly sweet) receptionist reappeared bearing gifts. She gave Anne some Alameda memorabilia (a bowl for our dog, a leash, a magnet, etc.) But the crowning glory was the scarf that she'd just had signed by any aspiring vet's version of a rock star. He wrote: 

"Dear Anne, Thanks for always being kind to animals. 

Your pal, Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald." 

I went outside to grab Atticus, because we were then offered a tour of the entire hospital, during which we saw the rockin' doctor several times. 

"See?" I said to Anne (not that I'm one to say I-told-you-so.) "Aren't you glad your goofy mother told you to go inside and ask?" 

Ramona and Betsy, I have to admit, weren't as entranced by the whole thing as Anne and I were (it's a teaching hospital, and I found the breadth of their services to be amazing), but they were good sports about it all. 

I think Ramona was happier with our subsequent, self-conducted tour of this place: 

(photo thanks to AmericanGirl.com)

Ramona's doll-pelganger (her pun, though she credits Betsy with teaching her the word doppelganger.)

And Betsy was far more enchanted by the extended, lazy reading time we spent at the Tattered Cover: 

Yes, we went to Denver and got excited about a bookstore. Wouldn't you?

The moral of the story is this: 

If your child is or has ever been a fan of Emergency Vets, 

and you happen to find yourself in Denver, 

by all means, 

take your child to the vet.
(And the American Girl store.
And the Tattered Cover.)