The Story
Once upon a time, there was a bad dog with no name. He escaped from his farm and abandoned the sheep in search of a cushy life. He was arrested by animal control and brought to the Vaughan Animal Service. Upon finding no ID, they named him Nicodemus, put him through the process of rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Oh, and he also lost his balls in the process.
Life at Vaughan Animal Service was comfortable and easy. He got to sleep all the time and had two square meals a day. Some friendly people would come by and take him out for walks. However, he did not enjoy the constant barking from the other inmates when they were excited, which greatly disturbed his beauty sleep. So, he took to sleeping with his head turned away from the cell bars.
One spring day in 2014, Nicodemus was told to pack up his belongings, go live with a family, and be on his best behaviour. Alas, this did not last. A week later, he was sent back to the Vaughan Animal Service, citing irreconcilable differences.
A couple more months passed, and other inmates slowly left the facility, replaced by new ones. All of them were as noisy as ever. One day, some visitors came, brought on a frenzy of barking and panting. Nicodemus kept his face hidden, curled under his furry tail, with his head turned away from the cell bars as always and hoping for the chaos to pass soon. Unfortunately for him, his untameable fur was sticking out between the cell bars, and it caught the eyes of one of the visitors.
They requested to see him and immediately fell in love. However, they had been instructed to find a medium-sized, middle-aged dog. Nicodemus took up a lot of room and was estimated to be only 2 years old. They got on the phone and tried hard to pitch Nicodemus to a mysterious boss lady. After a long conversation, it was decided that this mysterious boss lady would come and see Nicodemus for herself.
The next day, the visitors returned, accompanied by the mysterious boss lady from the phone. Nicodemus detected scents of many cats and dogs on her. Like the day before, he immediately flopped onto the floor and presented his belly, as he knew this would earn him a lot of pats and kisses. Instead of melting at the sight of his overt handsomeness, the boss lady only patted him a few times. She made him stand and methodically felt him from nose to tail and down to his feet. She placed a tube-looking thingy over his chest and shushed everyone while she listened to Nicodemus' heart thumping away. Finally, she stood up and started talking to the other visitors. Nicodemus was returned to his cell shortly after.
A few days later, the visitors came back without the boss lady. They paid the bail money for release. They renamed him Doctor because it turned out the boss lady is a doctor who hangs out with furry animals, and they thought it'd be funny if she had a dog named Doctor. The family immediately realized that, despite his good behaviour at the Vaughan Animal Service, Doctor had no intention of being a good dog now that he was free. He refused to get into the car or to walk on a leash. He got into the garbage, urinated inside and almost ran into traffic a few times. Attempts to teach him any manners always end up with him exposing his belly, begging for pats. Unable to get him into a car to go to a canine training school, the family hired a trainer to come to the house for one-on-one tutoring. Eventually, he became a dog with somewhat acceptable manners.
One day, the boss lady tells Doctor that he cannot sail through life alone on good looks, so she starts taking him to work and volunteers him as a therapy dog. He loves going to work with the boss lady because he can keep on sleeping and occasionally peels open his eyelids to supervise everyone around him. Therapy work can be a bit of hit-and-miss; the boss lady would insist on him standing or sitting, so he is tall enough for patients to pat his head from their wheelchairs or beds. Visiting school children is the best because he can lie on the floor, getting multiple massages from many hands as he drifts away into slumber.
To ensure Doctor is always on his best behaviour during these therapy sessions, the boss lady decided to continue his training. Once a week for 5 years, they can be found in advanced obedience classes, tricks and canine agility, the last of which Doctor always wins the title of the slowest dog. They would also go to doggie summer camps together, although it's hard to tell who enjoys them more.
As the COVID pandemic continues ravaging the human population into 2021, Doctor enjoys early retirement since everything is cancelled. Nowadays, he only goes to work with the boss lady, sleeps the day away, and occasionally goes on hikes with his doggie family and friends. Even the doggie groomer was shut down for a long time, so there was no monthly B-A-T-H. Unfortunately, the boss lady couldn't leave things well enough alone. She tells Doctor his brain will go idle if all he does is sleep and eat. So, after a very long and steep learning curve, The Furry Doctor site is born.
Disclaimer: For comedic effect, the author took a lot of creative liberty in crafting this introduction, loosely based on actual events. The Vaughan Animal Service is by no means a prison cell. The author was very impressed by the well-maintained facility and unequivocal care the people give these animals in a halfway home. These agencies rely on volunteers and the community's support to provide shelter and other medical attention to stray animals. The author is thankful daily that they made it possible for Doctor and her to meet. Please consider supporting your local shelters in any way you can.
