JJ: MJ, the Rottys. and Me

The manager at the Rosebrier got a pair of Rottweilers he kept out back of the place. MJ decided to go visit them and before I could stop him he was mixed up in a battle royal. Since I thought two to one wasn't a fair fight I waded in too. About the time I discovered that MJ and I weren't a match for two Rottweilers some of the guys from the Brier came running out and separated us. Emmy had a couple of minor wounds, one of the Rottys had a torn muzzle, and I ended up at the doctor's office. I'd managed to intercept bites with both arms, so once the fight broke up I went back to the store and started pouring on peroxide. Whoever was helping me then kicked me out and told me to go get professional help, so I went over to Tidyman's where Kathy was working to get a second opinion from her. My next stop, a little frazzled by the intensity of that second opinion, was at Doc Vranish's office. That's when I learned that when you walked into a doctor's office dripping blood from multiple wounds, you might get bumped to the head of the line. Doc muttered at me, then proceeded to load me with antibiotics and stitches and sent me home with instructions to avoid dog fights. Nope, I didn't heed him. However, the next time MJ got loose and ran for the Rosebrier it was Kathy that went after him and Kathy that was bitten, which resulted in a trip to the emergency room since the doctor's offices were closed. I still managed to get in trouble, though. They handed Kathy a sheaf of paperwork to fill out before they treated her, and they did not appreciate my comments about a system that valued paperwork more than people and cared more about ink than pain. I found myself invited to go elsewhere. Nope, I never did think it was funny, and my opinion of that hospital has never changed. Dollars first, people second. I do regret one thing about my episode with the Rottweilers. Times were pretty tough for me and it was hard to come up with the money to pay my bills. I got a notice from the doctor's office to pay or else. Then I made a big mistake -- I trusted someone I shouldn't have. I gave a check for the full amount to a lady I knew to drop off at the doctor's office. She forgot to do it. I thought all was well till I got a nasty phone call from Vranish's office a week or so later. I tried to explain what happened, and since the lady was handy I gave her the phone. She swore to them and to me that she'd dropped off the check and they were at fault, but then she went up and shoved it under their door that night. I got a personal letter from Vranish a few days later telling me not to come back to his office again for anything. Yeah, I regret that. I'd considered Doc Vranish to be a friend and the way things turned out left a bitter aftertaste.. TBC (Me)