“I thought you would EXPECT to get bitten, you’re a vet!”
“I thought you would EXPECT to get bitten, you’re a vet!” is a sentence a vet just loooooves to hear from an owner, right?
How about this: You’re being cautious with a dog showing conflicting signs, and the owner says “Oh you’re afraid of dogs? Maybe think of another career…”
We cannot stop people from speaking their opinion, being downright rude or just incredibly… insensitive. We can of course fire the clients that we really don’t want in our clinic, but a lot of times people are just being thoughtless.
You can, however, totally decide how you want to handle the situation.
These are some of the thoughts that will likely come up:
About the client:
- People shouldn’t judge me, they have no right.
- They are rude.
- They don’t know anything about me.
- They shouldn’t say that.
- People just have no respect.
- They have no idea about dogs
About yourself:
- I don’t want them to think I’m frightened.
- Maybe I’m not good enough to handle difficult dogs.
- Now I don’t know how to tell them to muzzle him.
- Maybe another vet would be better with this dog.
- I’m embarrassed to ask for help.
- I thought I WAS good with dogs but maybe I’m not?
These thoughts all mixed up are likely to make you feel:
- Frustrated
- Resentment
- Self doubt
- Fear
- Confusion.
When you’re spinning in all that, it’s hard to come across confident and caring, right?
We’re more likely to end up in a tug of war with the owners about the “right” way to be around dogs -> a lose-lose situation.
A thought I use to cut through all that is “I know what I’m doing - they’re just confused”.
My goal is to be able to examine the dog as much as possible, safely. I don’t care about anything else.
And then I’ll say something like “Let’s pop a muzzle on him because 1) it's really cheap insurance and 2) your dog will be SO upset if he hurts anyone because he’s scared and doesn’t really know what he’s doing.”
If the owners refuse, then I politely refuse to see their pet. With no added drama.
Our brains are so busy overthinking and overanalysing everything everyone does or doesn’t do. Catch it, and cut through the noise to get what you want.
In your corner,
Ready to fall back in love with Vet Med?
If you're feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or doubting yourself — I get it. I've been there. Here's how I can help:
- Book a Free 50-Minute Coaching Session — Let's chat about where you are and where you want to be. Book here
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You don't have to do this alone.