The inhuman screams coming from the room next to the waiting room were blood-curdling. Everyone said so. Distress showed on the faces of the other five people sitting in the room. Once the screams had subsided a bit, there was general discussion about what could possibly be happening in the room next door.
I was waiting with Freya. She was booked in for her post op check up. Before we’d walked in, she was fine; back to her normal self. Once we entered the building, she started her usual shaking in fear. After the screams started, her shaking just increased.
It wasn’t the only run in with animals today. On the trip to Hythe, we encountered a bit of a traffic hold up. Cars were progressing very slowly; stopping, starting, moving only a few feet each time. I was a bit worried we’d miss our appointment – we didn’t.
The reason for the hold up became clear.
A group of four horses had decided to head out of the open heathland of the New Forest and walk along the side of the road. Given they own the New Forest and can do anything they want, the cars were taking their time, passing when safety allowed.
By the time we reached them, the horses had all decided they’d found a happy feeding patch by the side of the road and had stopped to munch the damp grass.
I reckoned the reason there was so much livestock on show today was because of the horrendous rain we had yesterday. Maybe, I thought, they had all been sheltering under trees and were now, out and about, given the weather had improved.
And it had improved. The morning had been a bit threatening but, by the time I reached the market at around 9am, the sun was beaming down, and the sky was nothing but blue. A few of my stall holding friends commented on how glorious it was.
The weather held for our drives across the New Forest. Horses, cows, donkeys: we saw many of each and it was fantastic. I was particularly impressed by the slow driving cars, as if they decided to embrace the #Add3Minutes posters at the side of the roads between the cattle grids.
But, back at the vets, Freya and I sat and waited while the unearthly shrieks continued.
One of the other people waiting mentioned the fact that the dog that had gone in was pretty big. Another was worried because of the sounds of a child started joining the doggy distress. Then it all stopped.
A family group, consisting of a couple and a small child, walked out with a big fluffy cross-breed dog, tail wagging happily, walked out of the room next door. The woman looked at our shocked faces and explained, “She was only having her nails clipped! She’s just a doggy drama queen!“
We were then called in and Freya’s shaking increased. I put her on the examination table, and she pushed up against me in fear for her life. Or remaining teeth. Or, maybe, her nails. But the nurse carefully examined her and passed her clear and healthy and ready to rejoin the world of normal dogs.
Her shaking stopped as soon as we left the building and hopped back into Max, where Mirinda and Emma waited. When I told her about the nail clipping drama, Mirinda said she could hear the noise from the car park. Seriously, it was very loud and chilling.
But, all was well and we drove back to Lymington, happy in the knowledge that our little monkey was back to normal. Better than normal, in fact, given her breath no longer smells foul.
And, of course, we passed a few more members of the New Forest Owners Association.
I may not like the traffic, but I love the animal rights here in the New Forest.
