Chapter 3: The Menagerie
When Kaybri arrived at the clinic, Dr. Frank Stevens and his staff of three greeted her warmly. Dr. Stevens was tall and thin and had only a few tufts of white hair on his head and a sparse white beard. He struck her as quite elderly, and he seemed to have trouble walking, but he had a youthful smile and seemed genuinely delighted to meet her.
“Kaybri, I’m so glad you’re here. This practice has meant everything to me. And I hope it will come to mean everything to you.”
Kaybri felt her worries melt away. The office was clean and full of a sense of purpose. There were dozens of photos on the walls of happy-looking dogs and their happy-looking owners. It looked like everything she’d ever dreamed of—a place to feel at home in the world at last.
Dr. Stevens introduced her to his three-person staff, which consisted of Noah, the operations manager; Erika Curran, the veterinary assistant; and Autumn Hatch, the receptionist and office manager. All three seemed happy and excited to be there. They treated her like she was royalty. She was not used to this!
Noah, a rugged young man with a red beard and mustache, seemed a little shy. But the two women were super friendly and seemed to take delight in showing Kaybri around.
Dr. Stevens didn’t stay long. “I have to head off now to a doctor’s appointment. I’ve got a lot of those these days. My staff—now your staff—will show you how things work around here. Later, we’ll talk more.”
Kaybri took a deep breath and mustered up all of her limited social skills so as to be as likable as possible. It was always awkward for her to find ways to make conversation. Fortunately, there was so much to do, she barely had to worry about chitchat.
She was ushered from one treatment room to another where she was introduced to her canine patients and their owners, who came steadily throughout the day with and without appointments. With Noah’s support and Erika’s assistance, Kaybri removed a few porcupine quills from the mouth of a terrier, bandaged a snakebite suffered by a spaniel, and bathed away the skunk smell from a bewildered golden retriever who had clearly only wanted to make a new friend. It was all heaven to her to be able to ease her patients’ injuries.
After only a few hours on the job, Kaybri could tell that Noah, though quiet, was very special. She had heard that some people were thought to be dog-whisperers. She saw how he placed his hands on the patients and was able to make a diagnosis by sensing what pain or discomfort the dog felt. At first, she was skeptical. But after his fourth correct call, Kaybri found that Noah’s instincts were as accurate as the medical information she mostly relied on.
At lunchtime, two pizzas arrived, and the four of them took a few minutes to relax and enjoy the cheesy slices. Kaybri found herself chatting away with her new colleagues about the dogs in their care and even answering their questions about what she had liked and disliked about vet school. She had never felt so comfortable with other human beings in her life. It was because they all had a common passion, dogs, and a common mission, taking good care of their canine patients.
In the afternoon, she received a text message from Dr. Stevens inviting her to come out to his home in the evening to meet his wife and learn more about her new veterinary practice. She texted back that she would be there and would bring a bottle of wine.
One event marred the otherwise-perfect day. As she was leaving at five p.m. to meet with a realtor about an apartment, she nearly tripped over a cardboard box left on the building’s front stoop. The top of the box was covered with packing tape, and she could immediately hear little whimpers coming from inside. She quickly brought the box into the clinic and opened it in the waiting room. Inside was a scrawny dog, so underweight it couldn't stand. Its abdomen was distended, swollen, and probably bleeding internally. She seemed to have just given birth but there was no sign of her puppies. Just as disturbing was the dog's coat. It was terribly matted as if she hadn't been bathed in years.
Erika and Autumn seemed unsurprised and unfazed, and Noah quickly appeared to take the dog off her hands. He scooped up the shivering parcel and took it to the rear of the facility with no more fanfare than if it were the mail. “Don’t worry, Kaybri. I’ve got this,” he assured her. These reactions told Kaybri that this mysterious delivery was nothing new. Since she was the only fazed about the new arrival, Kaybri went on to meet the realtor, who showed her a tiny apartment on top of a strip mall that she said she would consider.
Afterwards, she got into her truck and headed for the address Dr. Stevens had given her. The drive took her through miles of gorgeous farmland, mostly cornfields, until she arrived at a beautiful old clapboard home with a huge yard. There were oak and dogwood trees everywhere and a stunning flower garden in front. She parked in the driveway and made her way up the walkway passing a giant sycamore in the front yard. Getting up the path was like running an obstacle course, as she had to make her way past a dozen children who were throwing tennis balls for dogs, cuddling kittens, and tempting a three-legged ferret with carrots.
Dr. Stevens was sitting in a rocking chair on the huge front porch smiling from ear to ear. As she climbed onto the first step leading to the rambling porch, he tapped the rocker next to his and said, “Welcome to the menagerie.” He gestured with his hand toward the scene on the lawn.
“Where did all of these animals come from?” Kaybri asked. She remained standing on the step.
“Many of them were abandoned. The neighborhood kids love to hang out here. They give these dogs and cats attention and love. Sometimes, their parents end up adopting one of them. The animals, I mean, of course!” He chuckled at his own joke.
Kaybri remained standing a few feet from Dr. Stevens, not sure what to say. She was suddenly feeling very shy.
“My cousin Abigail told me you’re not one for small talk. That’s okay with me.” Frank began to rock in his chair.
Kaybri decided to spit out what was foremost on her mind. “Dr. Stevens, you weren’t there at the end of the day.” She took a step onto the porch. “A dog was left at the clinic, and it’s a mess. Someone neglected that poor thing and left it for us to deal with.”
Dr. Stevens’s smile faded, and he cast his gaze downward. But he quickly recovered, and the twinkle came back into his eyes. “Please call me Frank,” he said, as he offered Kaybri a glass. She noticed a bottle of whiskey on a little table next to him.
“I’ll pass,” she said.
“Whoever left the dog expects you to deal with it. I retired on Friday when you signed the contract.”
“I was hoping there would be a transition period. You told me on the phone that I would receive the support I needed.”
“I meant my staff. You should have read the contract more carefully. Anyway, I’d rather be here. I’ve seen enough patients over the last forty years. Besides, Abigail told me you were ready to get to work.”
Kaybri wasn’t sure what to say. She did what she had always done when a person was frustrating her. She retreated to the company of a dog. She knelt down and began to pet the Malamute lying at Dr. Stevens’s feet. “What’s his name?”
“Fairbanks.”
She took a seat on the porch and gave the large dog a hug. He returned her affection with a series of sloppy wet kisses. Kaybri looked for a clean spot on the sleeve of her scrubs so she could wipe her face but couldn’t find one.
“Occupational hazard,” Frank said with a laugh.
“I don’t think it’s funny. Where did the damaged dog come from, Dr…., I mean, Frank?” Kaybri knew her tone didn’t pass the courtesy test and she owed better to the man who had gifted her his practice for one dollar.
“Amish puppy mills,” he said flatly while stroking his white beard.
Kaybri fell silent. Frank had confirmed to her what she had suspected but didn’t want to believe. “They’re running puppy mills?”
“Have for a long time.”
“Whom do we report them to?”
“We don’t. You pour yourself a stiff drink at the end of the day and you find the money to pay for the dogs’ treatments.” Frank paused while rocking slowly. He seemed to be more interested in the sounds of birds chirping and children laughing as they played on his front lawn. Eventually, he took a deep breath and met her gaze. “A few miles from here, dozens of Amish barns are stacked to the rafters with wooden pens filled with dogs. You passed some of those farms when you drove through Ohio and then Pennsylvania. The dogs spend their entire lives in those kennels covered in filth. They receive no veterinary care. Their lives are utter misery. Their life purpose is to make the farmers money.”
“I read the Horrible Hundred report when I was in school,” Kaybri said. “I can’t believe the Amish are still in this business. I thought that when their operations were exposed, the government would shut them down.”
“It’s difficult for the government to find the evidence they need. The breeding of dogs for the Amish is a cash business. It’s a crop. Dogs are no different in their eyes than their cows or ewes giving birth to calves or lambs,” Frank said matter-of-factly.
“It should be stopped or at least regulated,” Kaybri said.
Frank continued. “Only large-scale commercial facilities that breed animals have to be licensed and inspected by the USDA. Those that sell directly to the public or secretly to pet stores are not. And even if the Amish are selling their dogs wholesale, their operations are too small for the government. The authorities don’t have the resources to figure out which farms are puppy mills because there are hundreds of Amish farms surrounding the Lancaster region.” Frank illustrated by drawing a circle in the air around him.
“This makes me furious,” she exclaimed. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Frank any longer.
“I understand how you feel. But with the way things are, I decided the best I could do is to make a deal with the farmers. That’s why the dogs get dropped off at the clinic. They bring me their breeding dogs when they can no longer conceive. We care for them. We try to find them homes, and if the damage is too great, we euthanize them in a humane manner.”
Kaybri was now beginning to understand why Frank had sought her out. There was a whole other side to his practice. “Doesn’t it bother you that all of this could be prevented?”
“Of course. However, it’s been going on forever.”
“You never told me about your deal with the farmers. As the owner of this practice, it’s going to cost me thousands of dollars a month to treat these dogs.”
“Did you choose to be a veterinarian for the money?”
“No. Of course not. But I need to make a living. I have to eat. I have to pay rent.”
“Check the clinic’s books. You’ll find there are dozens of concerned and caring people who are paying the cost of treating these dogs. I recruited those donors, and they’ve agreed to keep funding the clinic’s work now that I’m retired.”
Kaybri couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was this how the world really worked? Some people abused dogs, others fixed them up. They’d never taught her about this kind of thing in veterinary school.
“That's all that can be done. We care for the dogs, ease their suffering if we can, and give them a few good years before they pass on.”
Kaybri released Fairbanks, stood up, and plopped into the chair next to Frank. “I don’t know how I feel about this. I should have been told.”
“You’re right,” he said, still calm yet firm. “However, I want you to promise me something before you do anything rash. Don’t challenge the Amish. They’re not as docile as that dumbass movie starring Harrison Ford.”
At that moment, a woman with a long grey braid and a gleam in her eyes opened the screen door. “Hi, Kaybri! I’m Dorothy, Frank’s wife. It’s so nice to finally meet you. Can you stay for dinner?” she asked.
Kaybri rose from her chair. “Thank you, but not tonight. I need to find an apartment.”
Kaybri immediately realized she sounded rude, but Dorothy didn’t seem put off. Her smile got even broader as she said, “Didn’t Frank or Abigail tell you? We found you a furnished apartment a few blocks from the clinic. It’s downtown where many young professionals live. You have a few months to see if you like it before you need to sign a lease.” Dorothy handed her a key and a slip of paper with the address. “Dinner?”
“Thank you. Not tonight.” Kaybri tried not to sound ungrateful, but she was too upset about the puppy mill situation to keep up her social skills. She did not want to take out her frustration with Frank on Dorothy.
“Your loss. I make an awesome lasagna.” Dorothy took Kaybri by the elbow and led her back to the driveway past the children and animals. “Try not to be too hard on Frank. He doesn’t always tell his story quickly. And what he doesn’t share is more omission than deception. Especially now.”
Kaybri wasn’t sure what Dorothy meant by “more omission than deception.” She decided she would broach that subject another day when she wasn’t so tired. She began to open the door of her truck when Dorothy pulled her into an unexpected embrace. Kaybri stood frozen with her arms at her side not knowing how to respond. Dorothy released her and gave her a little shove toward the truck. “Don’t be a stranger. You’re family now.”
Kaybri watched Dorothy head back to the house and sit down in the rocker next to her husband. After a few moments, Kaybri heard her ask Frank, “Is she as tough as you expected?”
“Tougher. She’s also as emotionally fragile as Abigail described.”
Dorothy sighed and caressed her husband’s arm. “She’s an orphan. Nothing we haven’t seen before.”