Our Little Stowaway.

The good little vet student sits down to prepare herself for the biggest exam of her life. She has her notes and review sheets strewn all over the table, her computer at the ready for researching questions, and her head in the game. Then her phone buzzes with a text message that reads: "Your shower is overflowing and the entire house is flooded".

What is this student to do? Does she just ignore a blatant call for help from her roommates and remain in study mode? Does she pack everything up and rush to the house?

She heads home in the pouring rain, through two major currents of run-off from the mountains to her left, biting her nails at the very image of the damage at home. She runs up the walk to find the front door wide open, an inch of water covering the floors, and four very tired people desperately trying to push the water out of open doors with small mops and brooms collected from neighbors. As an added bonus they are all working in completely darkness stabbed here and there by weak beams of light from various phones and book lights as the power went out shortly after the flood began. She grabs a mop and digs in, feeling the fruitlessness of the effort every other minute as she walks outside to squeeze the drenched mop.

This is how my shower floor looks after every significant rainfall.

Mostly dirt/silt, with some little pieces of food occasionally.

The floors are NEVER that shiny. Taking a break in the humid heat.

It took forever to get rid of all of that water.

Part of this is my clean laundry that hadn't been put away, the rest was stuff off the floor.

Just when the girl finds herself feeling the depths of despair (she desperately needs to pass this exam), she sees movement out of the corner of her eye in the living room. Upon closer inspection she finds a small dog staking claim to the only remaining dry place near the floor – the bottom shelf of the entertainment unit. Initial disbelief leads her to think surly this is a stuffed animal; however the pup turns her eyes towards the girl with a look of utter terror and confusion.

Cristin extending a hand of welcome to our new little friend.

She was seriously terrified. We left her while we finished the house. After all of the commotion ended she came out of her shell and ran around with glee only seen in an animal that has no worries.

The girl asks the landlady (who, along with her husband, are working diligently with us in bailing out the water) if she brought her dog along. When she replies that she had not, the girl and her roommates stare in disbelief at the little pup shivering in their living room and erupt in maniacal laughter at the very thought of this dog finding its way into their home while 5 people are present – and no one has any idea when or where she came from! The girl thinks to herself, perhaps in the midst of this low situation, when most people would quietly lose their minds, this little bundle of fur was sent to our home to remind us of why we are here. Why we put up with the crazy locals and the crappy roads/cars and the flooding showers. We are here to become veterinarians. The rest doesn’t matter. Better yet, the rest matters only in that it will make us better veterinarians for having had these experiences.

Performing a physical exam on our new friend. She's very needy (not Kristin, the dog) and submissive. Loves to sit as close as possible to you - or preferrably ON you.

After two hours of seemingly endless circles, the floors are finally…merely damp. What did the vet student and her fellow mates have to show for it? Wet, stinky clothes, aching backs, beds full of items that were once on the floor, unease about whether the flood water was clean or dirty, and an adorable little refugee to raise our spirits and give us perspective.

Investigagting the surroundings.

Getting some ear love.

Looks a little dark over there...not so sure...

How about I just stay here and let you love me?

I intend to pass this exam tomorrow with flying colors. And the one after that, and after that, and so on…because I intend to be a vet. And nothing can take that away from me.

We decided to toast the evening with a cold drink.

Yes, I realize how unattractive this picture is. No need to comment.

Kristin took this video of the shower beginning its flood. The video is long, but at least watch until the world goes black. That should give you a chuckle.