15. "The Labrador Retriever is not deaf," the Seller said.

THE BOY WHO LOVED THE HEARING-IMPAIRED LABRADOR RETRIEVER

"A lot of bull!" the pet shop manager said. "I have never heard of such nonsense in my whole life." She was a wiry sun-tanned and lean sixty-five-year old woman and had sold several thousands of puppies over the years.

"So what did you do?" I asked the buyer who reported the above encounter when she returned a 5-month-old Labrador Retriever puppy within the 24 hours after purchase after I certified that the Labrador Retriever was partially deaf.

"I felt so bad for causing her so much trouble," the genteel Mrs Tan said as her 15-year-old son put the replacement Labrador Retriever on the examination table. "I see her daily. I am her neighbour. But she persisted in giving back my money"

I was surprised as the pet shop manager was a very shrewd businesswoman. Puppy selling complaints are part and parcel of this pet shop operation and usually she would have an amicable solution. In this situation, the buyer did not even ask for money back.

"My husband and I just want a replacement puppy, not money back." Mrs Tan continued as my veterinary nurse took the rectal temperature of a Labrador Retriever. "The manager said that the replacement puppy would cost more. When I had no objection, she said that it would several weeks to find me a replacement, but this was all right with us."

I could not believe what I heard. A puppy buyer who was so accommodating and a seller who just wanted to get rid of her. Success has its rewards, I must say. If you are successful in your profession, you can pick and choose who you sell your puppies to.
And the pet shop manager was the top dog in this business.

But this rejection of a customer seemed emotional. Did Mrs Tan antagonised her with the rejection, accusing her of selling below standard puppy? I think not but I would not know as I would not be able to know the other side of the story.

Now, Mrs Tan had a replacement sibling for examination. This puppy came from another branch and was with her for 2 days. Would this puppy pass the veterinary examination?

Mrs Tan's mobile phone rang. Her elder 17-year-old son who was now not present had asked whether the puppy had passed the examination. Her younger son said it had passed because the puppy could hear very well.

"Not yet," I said as I shone the light of the opthalmoscope onto the retina of the puppy. "The eye examination is not completed." The puppy passed all the tests as a pet. Mrs Tan was told that the slightly overshot jaw and the half-black nose were not health problems as she did not intend to breed.

As for the half-black nose, the younger son who was close to her mother and even accompanied her shopping said, "We could use a can of black paint spray to blacken the whole nose."

"It is best not to jest in such a way," I advised the young man. "If the smaller boys hear this, they may do just what you say and spray the puppy's nose. The spray would splatter onto the puppy's eyes and blind him."

"Why is the elder boy not present?" I asked Mrs Tan.

"He does not want to experience the same sadness," Mrs Tan said. "He cried the whole night when the puppy was returned. And we had it for only a day."

I said, "The elder son would make an excellent veterinarian." It was a happy ending. As to how Mrs Tan got the replacement puppy, it was the boss of the pet chain who promptly sent one to her.

So, a business was sewed up. Goodwill with a neighbour was enhanced. And a boy who loved the hearing-impaired puppy got a second choice.

He would have got the first choice if the boss had not told me over the phone that he preferred to return the money rather than let the family keep the first puppy for 5 days as proposed by me after the examination. I was hoping he would be flexible but he must have had bad experiences and complaints with fastidious puppy buyers. And why should he put up with a lot of bull when he did not need to do so?

I am sure that the elder son preferred his first choice after his mum described about his heartfelt loss. His heart was with the hearing-impaired puppy but his parents did not want future health problems.

I am sure that his first puppy was not a puppy love. If only the boss had been flexible with 5 days. But he told me later that he had not known that the buyer was his neighbour.

In any case, the reason he was so successful could be that he turned a bad situation right and the story had a happy ending for the buyer. This teenager who would not reject a partially deaf puppy just because it was not able to hear well with the right ear would be an excellent veterinarian. I wondered if he had top exmaination grades in school as it is extremely difficult to get into a veterinary school overseas if you don't have the top grades.


PUPPY LOVE - A transitory affection felt by a boy or girl for one of the opposite sex.