Dog Kennel Lady Made Me Cry

One of my errands today in preparation for our departure tomorrow was to drop PJ off at the kennel. The lady who has kept him the past couple of years was not available so I'm using someone new who was referred to me by a couple of people. (Rene, you're one of them! You didn't tell me she was big & mean!)

Anyway, PJ & I drive up to the place at 1:30 this afternoon. The sign on the office door says they don't do drop offs between 1:00 & 3:30. I swear that I was never told this information. I will also say that my memory is not as good these days as it used to be and if it's not written down I probably won't remember it. (I've checked my notes and that info was not written down, so I don't believe it was relayed to me when I called and made the reservations.)

So I'm sitting there pondering what to do. I called their phone number and left a message. I noticed that there was another building next to the office so I get out and look in the window. It looks like where they do their grooming of the dogs and I see people moving about, so I knock on the door. Twice. Fran, one of the owners, answers the door and she does not look happy to see me. I explain to her that I'm here to drop of my dog and noticed from the sign that they don't accept drop offs during this time and I'm wondering if I could perhaps do it anyway since I was there. She emphatically stated I would need to come back at 3:30, no exceptions. I mentioned I had to take Lindsay to a doctor's appointment at 3:15 and that would be inconvenient since PJ and I were already there. She stated w/ anger in her voice I would have to make other arrangements to get it done AFTER 3:30. (Need I remind anyone that I'm going to be paying this lady over $200 for feeding and housing my dog?)

At this point I'm looking at my watch and thinking of all the things still needing to be done before we can leave tomorrow (read between the lines, I'm stressing and have been for two months) and thinking that I just don't need this complication! I feel tears coming to my eyes. She looks at me and says, "Well, even though I don't appreciate you not following the rules I'll go ahead and do it." To which I say, "I really don't want to get off on the wrong foot here, I'll just try to come back after 3:30." (Thinking to myself that I'm fixing to leave my pet here w/ a lady who hates me already I better just do whatever I can to make her happy.) She starts striding to the office saying, "No, let's just get it done."

So she's mad and I'm fixing to cry.

I hold back the tears, continue to apologize, and start filling out the paperwork. She seems to calm down a bit, so I mention that she came highly recommended from PJ's groomer, his old sitter, and that we had you, Rene, in common. (Rene's and Fran's boys go to school together) \

Long story short, she apologized for being rude but said that late drop offs were one of her biggest pet peeves, and I apologized for not knowing and/or following the rules. I went ahead and left PJ in her care hoping that she won't take my misdeeds out on him. As I get back in the car I call my office and talk to Kelli and summarize w/ disbelief in my voice and tears in my eyes what has just happened. I hung up w/ her and cried for a while.

I'm sure he'll be okay while he's there, but we'll just add this to my "list of things to worry about"!

And, Lisa, just so you know I left you as a emergency contact w/ her. If, God forbid, she has to call you, maybe she'll take pity on you "in your condition" and won't make you cry!