Exciting Trip To The Vet in Belize City
We have a great small clinic here on the island, but sometimes our pets need more specialized care and then a visit to San Pedro or a trip to the vet in Belize City is needed. So, when our secretary Amanda and president Monique found out that their 3 dogs, Harvey, Gumbo, and Mayzie, were up for a visit to AMC (Animal Medical Centre) they decided to team up.
Normally, people take the water taxi to the city, but Amanda and Monique thought it was a good idea to see if it was possible to take a private boat. After some asking around, they found Roberto and John from Weezie’s willing to take them on a special trip. And so an adventure was born.
The day before the trip to the vet they met for a try-out walk with the three dogs, as until then they’d only met on different sides of the fence. And being close to each other on a small boat is totally another story. So, when they met on the same side of the fence the excitement was big, but in a positive way. Soon they settled down and had a successful walk. A huge reassurance for the owners who were getting a bit anxious. Was this really a good idea?
On the big day everyone met at Weezie’s dock and tried to figure out the best way to place people and dogs on the boat. Good friend Bobbi joined the adventure, so each could handle one dog. Amanda landed on the bow with Harvey and the others sat in the back of the boat. And off they went!
The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, and it seemed a perfect day. Until Amanda almost bounced off the bow, as the waves were a bit higher than expected. The boat slowed down and carefully they moved to the back to join the rest of the pack. Luckily the dogs didn’t cause any problems except for trying to jump in laps and kissing faces.
In Ladyville Roberto picked up his van and Mayzie got her second first-time experience: She had never left the island before, and boat, car, mainland were all firsts. Her ears were up all the time and her face showed one surprise after another.
Roberto dropped off handlers and dogs at the vet for the dogs’ medical check-ups, X-rays, and treatment plans.
To take advantage of the trip to the vet in Belize City, Amanda, Monique, and Bobbi left the dogs in the kennels at Animal Medical Center for a bit, so they could do some shopping. And a little while later, they all went back to the boat.
Meanwhile they had heard that it was pouring in Caye Caulker, and there was a big chance they would have some wind and rain on the way back. With a positive mind they took off, hoping (and trusting their captain) that they could bypass the little storm and stay dry. But halfway they were proved wrong. Dark clouds appeared ahead, big drops started falling and white heads formed on top of the waves.
Monique was happy she brought her raincoat, but the happiness didn’t last long as no one could find it. They tried to use plastic bags instead: Bobbi used hers to put around Gumbo, Monique didn’t care about Mayzie and wriggled herself in the small plastic bag and couldn’t move for the next 15 minutes. But at least she stayed a bit dry. Amanda and Harvey had the best spot close to the captain and stayed relatively dry, although again this was the bounciest spot. We raced through the waves, saw a rainbow, and got a bit chilly, but managed to survive.
Surprisingly, the dogs stayed very calm and just endured the hardship. After about an hour we arrived safely and were welcomed by a relieved and enthusiastic crew at Weezie’s dock.
The Moral Of The Story...
- A trip to the vet can be very exciting
- The water taxi is not so bad after all, especially in rough weather
- Extra cushions and anti-slip material for the dogs would have been very handy
- It’s wise to keep your raincoat close
- Dogs are great boaters
