By Dr. Pierre B. Bland

No man is an island. Being a solo practitioner drives that fact home on a daily basis. As I have perfected the act of robbing Paul to pay Pierre literally and metaphorically, the reality is many times I just can’t do it alone. There is something about asking for help that makes me uncomfortable. This is obviously a personal quirk probably deeply rooted, somehow, in my childhood-love of Saturday morning cartoons….or the dictatorial nature of some aspects of my personality. None the less, sometimes you have to reach out to others

As I go through the act of acquiring equipment for the next phase in the growth of my practice, a key life realization has come to light: I am not as young as I used to be. Exam tables, cages, and furniture weigh a lot more today than they did five years ago. In sharing this realization with a friend and client, he reminded me …”you do know I can help you with that. I do owe you. “

According to him,   I saved the life of his his beloved Golden     Retriever, Bear, twice: once by managing his kidney disease, in the process, discovering and treating testicular cancer, and secondly by treating him for a severe anaphylactic reaction. That would actually be three life-saving interventions, but who’s counting. The way I see it, I was doing my job and it all worked out for the best. Nothing owed in any shape, form, or fashion. None the less, I am glad for his willingness to be of help.

So here we are, driving 75 miles per hour down I-95 with two 10 foot long church pews tied into the back of a pick-up truck. My friend has confidence in the ropes and knots he used to secure the pews in the truck bed: I am freaking out because we tied 10 feet of pews into five feet of truck bed. With the tail gate down we have two more feet of truck bed, which leaves three feet of pew suspended behind the truck. It is math and math doesn’t lie. I repeatedly ask “…should we be diving so fast?” As I keep a nervous eye on our cargo, my friend jokes, “If they fall out, we keep driving and take the next exit.”

After a 30 minute drive we arrive at our destination, cargo safe and sound. My friend puts his hand on my shoulder and reminds me, “I move boats for a living. Have faith in me as I have faith in your ability to treat Bear.” The tables have turned: I was the one keeping him calm during Bear’s health issues and now is his turn to keep me calm in an unfamiliar situation.

I will take his advice. We have a lot more equipment to move.

Dr. Pierre Bland is the owner of Dr. Bland’s Vet House Calls. He can be reached at 954-673-8579 or at doctorblandvet.com