This Employee Has Gone To The Dogs

(My boss is notorious for hiring really bad employees and believing that they will change. I am studying to be a veterinarian, but I work in the kennel as the head of kennel staff. This particular day is a working interview with a teenage girl who wants to work in the kennel.)

Me: “So, do you want to be a veterinarian? Most people who want to work here do.”

Girl: “Nah. I want to be an anesthesiologist. That’s where the money is.”

Me: “Oh. We don’t really do too much here in that field. Have you applied at surgical centers? Just curious.”

Girl: “No, I thought this would be more fun.”

Me: “It can be fun, but it’s a lot of hard work. It’s not just playing with puppies and kittens. We sometimes get dangerous dogs, and we have to clean up a lot of nasty things.”

Girl: “Wait, big dogs? I don’t like big dogs.”

Me: “Well, yeah, we’re obligated to treat animals that come in here, including big dogs.”

Girl: “Can you just take care of them?”

Me: “You will probably have to work alone sometimes.”

Girl: “Oh… With the cleaning… will I have to touch wet hair? It’s kind of a phobia…”

Me: “… You’re working with dogs and cats. Part of the job is to bathe dogs. Yes, you will be touching wet hair. It looks like they’re done in surgery. We should probably clean up the table before the next one.”

(We enter the room. There is a ton of blood on the table and floor, along with clumps of hair that were wet with blood. Turns out a dog had been hit by a car and needed a leg amputated. Not uncommon. I started to clean up.)

Me: “Here, grab the spray bottle and start cleaning.”

Girl: “Oh, my god, I’m going to pass out.”

Me: “What?!”

Girl: “Blood makes me dizzy…”

(I had to take her into the back office to sit out the rest of the day. Later, I was talking to my boss about her.)

Boss: “Hey, how did [Girl] do today?”

Me: “Not so good. She’s afraid of big dogs and she passes out at the sight of blood. Oh, and she gets freaked out at the texture of wet hair. I don’t think it will work out.”

Boss: “Well, maybe we should give her a chance. She seems pretty nice! And she told me she wants to be a vet. Maybe working here will help her get over her fears!”

Me: “… She told me she wants to be an anesthesiologist.”

Boss: “Weird. She must’ve lied to you. We’ll hire her and see how she does!”

(She lasted about four months before she quit. She ended up being really whiny and complained when people tried to make her clean. She never got over her fear of large dogs, blood, and wet hair. If she was afraid of that stuff and knew she would only make minimum wage, why on earth would she even apply to this job?)