The Family Disclosed They Were Terrified of Their Own Chihuahua. Then the Vet Asked Them to Muzzle Him
They couldn't handle their own pet chihuahua.
Although veterinary clinic staffers are trained to handle even the feistiest of animals, pet owners are still expected to take precautions and restrain their furry friend. Emma Heartley (@eheartley), a veterinary medicine practitioner, recalled working with a family who was terrified of their own chihuahua.
“I didn’t realize until I started working in vet med that some people genuinely own animals that they are terrified of,” Heartley told TikTok. The phenomenon perplexed her because these animals live under the same roof as these families. And yet, they seemed to be afraid of their own pet.
“I had this family bring in a little chihuahua in a little stroller,” she continued. Heartley alleged that when she asked the family to place the dog on the table, the family members said they were “scared” to touch their pet dog.
“Okay? Thank you so much for bringing him in today, without pre-meds and no nothing, no muzzle or anything,” Heartley commented on the experience. There are people who have exotic pets like snakes but aren’t afraid of them. One man even mourned the loss of his pet snake after his ex baked it by accident. Then, there are those who couldn’t even keep a small dog in check.
To remedy the situation, Heartley said she handed the family a muzzle to put on their chihuahua. She explained that it would be a liability for the clinic if their staffers put the muzzle on. The family was hesitant at first. They were unsure if they would be able to put the muzzle on their tiny dog. The dad of the family stepped up and successfully put the muzzle on, and they were about to proceed with the appointment.
The chihuahua went haywire
But Heartley said when the dog was placed on the table, he “flips out” on the staff. “We have to towel the entire dog while there’s a muzzle on it. I’m like panini-pressing him to my body, because he’s only, like, ten pounds, but he’s crazy,” Heartley alleged. Nevertheless, she said that she and the rest of the staffers were able to finish the vet session.
But Heartley said that the chihuahua was still screaming, scratching, and trying to bite her while she handled him. It’s normal for dogs to get uppity during high-stress situations. One California woman even had to help shove the never-ending supply of frantic pomeranians back into her neighbor’s house during a SWAT operation. However, this family’s chihuahua was starting to pose a risk to Heartley.
“I think there’s a possibility that he’s going to get out of his muzzle and bite me,” Heartley alleged. She said she called the family over to pick the dog up. But as they were walking up to the chihuahua, Heartley said that some of the family members were already gasping and shouting in fear of the dog. Heartley alleged that the family wasn’t even near the dog yet.
Not every chaotic pet story ends in a muzzle
“I’m handing it to them backwards, because that’s how you hand an aggressive dog to people,” Heartley said. What made the situation comedic was that the muzzle was still on, and the dog was also still wrapped in the towel, lessening the likelihood of him biting anyone.
“You live with this animal, come [expletive] grab your [expletive] dog and stop screaming in my face,” she commented. Chihuahuas aren’t the only small package with big attitude. One New York City family found their beloved Belgian Malinois, who may have built-in military software.
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