They Call Me Nonos

Saturday was Fifty’s least favorite day of the year… shot day at the vet… RUH-ROH!. Oh he hates it! Look at him up there, with his tail tucked between his legs, all nervous like. (He’s also totally unaware that all of that worrying is going to give him frown lines… do they have botox for dogs?)
In fairness, I get why he was so uneasy (besides the shot of course, I’m not a fan either), Fifty hasn’t had the greatest Vet experiences in the past. It’s not that anything bad happened, it’s just that we hadn’t found the right Vet for him… until last week, when fate stepped in. 
But before fate stepped in, there was the cat lady Vet. She was the first Vet we took Fifty to and not very nice. She didn’t like dogs! (Let me ask you a question… what kind of person becomes a Vet if they don’t like dogs?) It was absolutely nutty, because when Fifty went to her he was a wee bitty thing, and Fifty as a wee bitty thing was simply too cute not to like. I mean really, how could you not love this wee, bitty face?
Obviously there was something wrong with her. 
Then there was the second vet. He was perfectly fine (much nicer than the cat lady), but he was just kind of blah, and lacking in someway. It was like he didn’t have an aura or something.
So this year when shot time rolled around, and not wanting to take Fifty back to the mean cat lady or the aura-less guy, we were on a search for somebody new. The man who owns the camp that Fifty goes to recommended a place not too far from here. He said the vet there takes care of all of his dogs (he breeds Porcelaines, like Ruby) and he takes walk-ins. Perfect, except we showed up during his extra-long lunch hour. We decided to go back a couple of days later and headed home. And that’s when fate happened. 
As we were driving, we passed another Vet’s office (in France, Vet’s have a white and blue cross hanging over their door) and pulled over to take a look. The office was closed but the Vet’s name on the door looked familiar. Very familiar. We looked in Fifty’s carnet de santé, and there on Fifty’s papers from his first examination at the S.P.A., was that very same Vet’s name. Fate. We booked an appointment right away.  
When we arrived, the Vet looked at Fifty and introduced herself. Then she looked at his carnet de santé, looked back at him and gasped, “Oui! Nonos!” (Nonos was Fifty’s name before we adopted him). She remembered him! 

She told us how Fifty and his two sisters were brought to the S.P.A. in the cardboard box that they had been found inside the trash dumpster in (that breaks my heart), and (get ready… this is a big and), one of his sisters is a patient of hers! I am bursting with excitement about this! Fifty has a sister, and she’s OK, and healthy, and has a loving family. And apparently, she’s scared of everything just like Fifty, is a big licker like him, and is just about the same size but, she’s more Staffordshire-like so she could probably beat-up her brother.
{Are we done yet?}

So in summary; 1) We finally found the right Vet for Fifty (she’s super sweet!). 2) Fifty has a sister not too far from here who could probably take him in a wrestling match, and 3) I have a play date to arrange.

bisou

32 responses to “They Call Me Nonos”

  1. oh, that's such a great story!and fifty looks so big.

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  2. So sweet!! Yes, it is important to find Mr or Ms Right Vet!! I hope Fifty will meet with his sister soon, he'll be a great big bro!! Funny pics and it was nice of her to let you take them!

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  3. That is awesome! I love finding out more about puppies. While living in England we got Sophie from a family who had an accidental litter between their show labrador and their show rottweiler. We actually have heard from them since (it's been going on 6 years). Her brother is huge, much bigger than her mother, and it causes me to laugh because Sophie is definitely Brit lab-like (smaller than the US ones). Hopefully you can set up a playdate!

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  4. Aw, so cute! How great that the vet remembered him, too, maybe it's good to know that finding puppies in a cardboard box in a dumpster is an unusual occurrence in Manosque 🙂

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  5. Aww, now this is about the sweetest thing I have ever read!!

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  6. Did the first vet openly admit to not like dogs or you could just feel it? That's just crazy to me! I understand preferring cats over dogs (and vise versa) but when you're a vet, there's an expectation to remain neutral! Geez!So the big question…are you going to contact the owners of Fifty's sister?? That's amazing!! I really hope you do (or are allowed to) and post about it! That's the fun thing about dogs, you can actually have fun with them. We introduced my cat Charlotte to her sister Brooke and they just hissed at each other like nasty old ladies.Cats…sigh…

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  7. She didn't say she didn't like dogs but you could definitely tell, so in turn, I don't like her.Fifty has to go back to the Vet in March for a special shot for summer, so we're going to ask then. I'm hoping we don't look like total weirdos 😛

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  8. Aww, glad it was such a happy reunion! Hope he can get some family time too, and that his sister isn't too mean to him ;o)

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  9. You're like Cilla Black on 'Surprise Surprise' re-uniting Fifty with his sister! Glad the new vet is nice, how anyone doesn't like dogs is beyond me.Lx

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  10. Sara, thanks for entertaining me in the middle of the night…I couldn't sleep from 1-4…..used my IPhone to peek at my blog…saw your post….thanks for making those hours when you want to pull your hair out a bit cheerier! It's so important to find the right vet. Poor Fifty! good thing you have found a good caretaker! We took our little pug to play with her sister one day…and honestly, you'd have thought they had known each other forever! You definitely need a play date!

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  11. Puppies in a box? Going to go cry now,

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  12. Yay!! Hope all goes well with the play date. I, too, found one of my dogs in a dumpster…his belly was so distended he couldn't stand up on his short little feet….but I got him to the Vet and he lived a healthy life after all the trauma.

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  13. Great story, and the vet must have been thrilled to see how he turned out too.

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  14. oh yay! I bet the vet loved that 🙂 Charlie has playdates with his former foster brother and sister – they have so much fun!

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  15. um. so you're going to set up that reunion. and film it. right? 🙂

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  16. AHH! How exciting! Seriously, what a dose of fate you got with that one! So glad you were able to find a good vet AND get the good news that Fifty's sister is alive and well!

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  17. Very happy to hear that Fifty has a nice sister, can't wait to hear about a future meet-up. How cute.

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  18. Such a handsome furry fella!

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  19. This is weird. Having arrived here only last May, we needed a vet, too, so went with a guy we knew about who friends use. We find him brusque, and Rémy, our Bull Terrier rescue, is also afraid of the vets and looks exactly like Fifty when he's there! I just don't understand how a vet could not love animals and now we are going to have to change, too.

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  20. Oooooh Sara my long lost daughter. I love Fifty so much. I've said a million times and I mean it.Partly because he looks sooo much like my George (an AmStaff as well) and Fifty's story! I'm crying more than a little here. George is a rescue as I've said, but we don't know his story. I love this!!!! I mean I love what you guys found out about your bel ami velu. I'm kinda in crush with our vet. He's fantastic and once said our crazy-ass cat is “magnificent.” How can you not love someone like that??Calvin (magnificent cat) has a story just like Fifty's. He and his litter mates were found in a dumpster. What the hell is wrong with people?

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  21. My ipad is not letting me finish my comments….sorry, just wanted to also say congrats to Fifty for finding his roots, and, he happens to be looking extraordinarily handsome.:-)

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  22. That is fabulous. It truly brightened my day since I love happy animal endings. Yay for Fifty!

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  23. Poor Puppy! I have had my fair share of vet swapping in France and it is wonderful when you find the right one (who likes dogs!). What a wonderful story, I hope you get to meet his sister soon!Ivan

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  24. Oh my word, he is the sweetest. I'm so glad you found the right vet…we JUST now found one we liked for Molly. She's so scared of the vet, so it's nice to know the vet is one we like! Here's hoping that Fifty can meet his sister one day! : )

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  25. A delightful story. Finding a vet who communicates well with both the owners and their pets is important. Warm wishes

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  26. So cute!:)www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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  27. I'm glad you found the Right Vet. We had to change from the Killer Vet in the village (truly a Killer Vet- my friends and I firmly believe he has killed 1 cat and 2 dogs through incompetence. I think he's a big animals vet with no time for prissy little cats and dogs.) to a lovely, charming vet about 16 km away. He is indeed the Nice Vet.So happy too that you've found Fifty's long lost sister. We fully expect photos of the joyful reunion!

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  28. Hooray! A nice vet AND Fifty finds out he's a brother!! I bet she's just as attractive as he is!

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  29. oh, that's such a sweet story. 🙂 it's like they were just meant to meet again.also, Fifty as a pup was adorable! I don't see how anyone could not like that face.

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  30. Oh my gosh, that's amazing news!! I wonder if fifty will remember his sister? That would be neat 🙂

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  31. Wow that is awesome that Fifty has a sister! They have to meet! 🙂 Fifty's story is so sad but he is glad that you found him! Such a brave boy!My bunnies are so scared of the vet too. They had to go to the vet every day for the first 14 days after I adopted them so they are still scared.

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