The $125.00 manicure

Joe’s posting about dogs (see December 5) reminds me of a story about my own dog, a sweet, affectionate black-Lab mix named Molly who turned one year old this past October. As new dog “parents,” my husband and I fall prey to the typical excesses of those who want only the best for their precious loved ones—expensive toys, organic food, silly outfits. And of course we strive to follow all the vet’s recommendations to the letter, such as cutting our dog’s nails regularly.

One night around bedtime, a few weeks after Molly came to live with us, my husband decided that the time was right to get out the doggie nail clipper and try his hand at trimming her nails, since Molly was relaxed on her blanket in our bedroom. A minute or two later, I heard a pitiful yelp. I ran into the bedroom and found Molly hobbling around in circles, making bloody pawprints all over our light beige carpet. My husband was standing in the middle of the room, clippers in hand, frozen in shock. Yes—he had accidentally cut her nail below the quick.

My husband picked Molly up in his arms and ran down the stairs, leaving a trail of blood from her dripping paw in his wake. It looked like a scene from CSI. We settled her in our minivan and began our journey to the all-night veterinary emergency room 25 minutes away. In the van, Molly began licking her wound clean, and by the time we pulled into the parking lot the bleeding had virtually stopped. She pranced into the emergency room with us, a smile on her face. “Hi!” she seemed to say to the doctors. “How you doin’?”

Behind the stainless-steel double doors of the “operating room” she went. We sank into chairs in the waiting room and tried to compose ourselves. An hour later, around 1:00 a.m., we were presented with a wagging Molly and a bill for $125.00.

Now Molly goes to a nice man named Jason for her manicures. She hands him her dainty paws and the entire procedure is over in about 20 seconds—for a cost of only $12.50. It seems like a bargain to us!

—Barbara