Mothers Like This Are The Worst Breed

My mother has a notoriously aggressive dog. It’s small, but it’s prone to biting and my mom actively encourages it, making her growl and snap because she thinks it’s a funny party trick to show guests. She and the dog have been banned from most groomers. She asks me to carry the dog to a vet and groomer for her.

Me: “[Vet]? Are you sure? I thought she couldn’t go back there?”

Mom: “I called and they said they can take her.”

Me: “Why?”

Mom: “What do you mean, why? She’s a good girl! The old groomer just didn’t know what she was doing! The new groomer said she’d take her!”

Me: “Okay.”

I go to the vet. They don’t do appointments so they don’t know I am coming.

Vet Tech: “Hi! What can I do for y’all today? What a cute puppy, my goodness!”

Me: “Yeah, she’s… she’s… I’m here for grooming.”

Vet Tech: “Okie dokie! What’s the name?”

Me: “[My Name.]”

Vet Tech: “Sorry, sweetie. I don’t have a file for you.”

Me: “Oh, my bad! It’ll be under [Mother].”

Vet Tech: “All righty! I…” *Stares at screen* “One second.”

She goes to the back and returns less than a minute later.

Vet Tech: “[Dog] is approved for vet visits only. You were informed of this.”

She is instantly very serious and no longer happy to see the “cute puppy.”

Me: “So… what do I do? My mom said she called, and you said it was okay?”

Vet Tech: “No. It’s not. You could go to a groomer she hasn’t seen before, because she won’t be barred from there.”

Me: *Drowning in embarrassment* “Okay… let me go call my mom, I guess.”

I step outside and call her. She’s pissed at me, as if it’s my fault. I get her to admit she never gave the vet tech her name or dog’s name over the phone and the vet tech only said that walk-ins for grooming were allowed in general, not that our dog’s ban got lifted.

She’s still mad. She tells me to wait outside for a few minutes and hangs up on me. Through the window, I see the vet tech answer the phone and have a many-minute-long conversation with hate on her face the whole time. When she’s done, she gives me a look like I killed her entire family and I get a text from my mom saying to try again.

Me: “Hi… Did… my mom call you?”

Vet Tech: *Visibly upset* “Yes. [Dog] can get a bath. A bath. Pick her up at three.” *Snatches the leash from me*

Me: “Okay… Be careful, she can be a little rude.”

She shot me a death glare. I cried the whole way home from the embarrassment. They ended up asking me to get her at one and only her back had been washed. I left a big tip with my mom’s credit card.