A Shaggy Dog Story

by Patsy Collins
^{(creative writers at www.morewriting.co.uk)}
Aggie had always preferred animals to people. It wasn’t that she disliked her family; just that she had nothing in common with them. Her sisters played with dolls in their Wendy house and liked dressing up in frilly dresses.

“We’re having a dollies' tea party, do you and Baggsy want to come?” they asked.

“No thanks, we’re going to play at being police.”

Aggie liked to play outside with her dog and get muddy as she hunted for imaginary clues, or pretended he was a husky pulling her on a sled.

Mummy liked going shopping and coming home with lots of bags. Aggie was happier traipsing through the local woods, with Baggsy. Daddy spent his spare time watching sports on the telly. Aggie enjoyed trying to teach Baggsy to do tricks. He wasn’t very good, his poor eyesight, stumpy legs and huge feet made him clumsy. Aggie didn’t mind, she loved her frizzy haired pet.

The children at school teased Aggie. It wasn’t just because she was short with frizzy hair and big thick glasses and enormous feet. It wasn’t even because she had red blotchy skin due to eczema. They said she smelt ‘funny’ and laughed at the pet hairs on her clothes. Mummy told her to ignore them, so that’s what Aggie did. She made no close friends, but didn’t really mind; she quietly got on with her lessons, and then raced home to Baggsy. She did mind when in her teens, Baggsy died. When she arrived at school with red eyes, she hadn’t, as she’d feared, been laughed at. Most children said nothing, but a few, those who had dogs themselves, were quite kind to her.

When she left school, she knew she wanted to work with dogs. Her classmates and sisters worked in shops or started hairdressing apprenticeships. Aggie’s own job wasn’t so different. She worked in a pet shop, one that provided a pet grooming service. Aggie hadn’t owned another dog since Baggsy, but when she was offered an Afghan puppy, she couldn’t refuse.

“She’s no good for showing, because she’s got a wonky ear, but she’ll still make a lovely pet and I know you’ll take good care of her, Aggie,” the puppy’s breeder said.

“Oh, she’s beautiful,” Aggie said. She was smitten immediately.

Aggie named her adorable new pet Suki. As she combed the dog’s silky blonde hair she couldn’t hope comparing her to Baggsy. It was often said that people grew to look like their pets. Aggie had seen examples of that herself with her customers. She vaguely wondered if she’d suddenly develop long slender legs or get the urge to bleach her hair. Suki gradually changed from a cute puppy into a beautiful dog. Aggie stayed exactly the same. Well, almost exactly; it seemed her eczema was back. Red patches developed on her arms. Aggie was mildly annoyed, because she’d thought she’d grown out of the childhood condition, but not too bothered by the small red circles. She covered them whilst grooming dogs at work, so the dog shampoo didn’t irritate her skin. She put some moisturising cream on; that had always helped when she was younger. The patches grew bigger, spreading out in a perfect circle, like fairy rings on the lawn. They were caused by fungus, though.

One day, whilst grooming Suki, Aggie noticed a small red circle on her pet’s skin. Over the next few days, the patch grew a little larger. There were flakes of skin as though the dog had dandruff. Her hair broke off from the affected circle leaving a bald patch. Aggie guessed that her own rash wasn’t eczema at all, but something contagious. The following day, Suki began to scratch at the mark and Aggie spotted a second one. She rang the vet and made an appointment for that afternoon.

“What seems to be the trouble?” the vet asked.

“I think Suki has caught some kind of rash from me,” Aggie explained and showed the vet Suki’s original spot. It was, by then, looking inflamed around the edge with a paler centre.

“Ringworm,” the vet declared.

“Oh, I’ve heard of that but never actually seen it, before. It’s not actually a worm, is it?”

“No, it’s a fungal infection.”

“Like fairy rings on a lawn?”

“Yes, sort of.”

“Can you treat Suki?”

“No problem, I’ll prescribe some cream. Just apply it on any patches of ringworm and the surrounding skin. It will still be contagious for a couple of weeks, so try to keep her away from other dogs and don’t let people handle her unless they’re wearing gloves. Keep using the cream twice a day and continue for at least a week after the skin is clear. You might want to use a halo collar if she tries licking the affected area. We can lend you one if you like.”

“OK, thanks.”

“You said she got it from you?”

Aggie nodded and rolled up her sleeve.

“You’ll need to get treatment for yourself too, Aggie.”

“I suppose so, or I’ll just give her the infection again. Oh no!”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been grooming dogs at work. I wore long rubber gloves, but could they still have caught it?”

“It is very contagious. If they rubbed against furniture or something else you’d touched there would be a risk.”

“I’ll contact all my customers and warn them to check. Can I use the same cream as Suki, or will I need to see my doctor?”

“You’ll need your own cream. In theory the same one might work, but I can’t recommend it. You needn’t see the doctor though; just go along to the pharmacist and they’ll suggest something suitable. Check the directions, different brands might need to be applied more frequently or used for longer, so don’t assume yours will be the same as Suki’s.”

Aggie went to the chemist as soon as she’d taken Suki home.

“How can I help?” the pharmacist asked.

“I’ve got this rash,” Aggie said and began rolling up her sleeve.

“Would you like to step over here?” the pharmacist suggested and guided Aggie to a quiet corner behind a screen.

Aggie revealed her arm.

“My dog’s got it too. The vet said it’s ringworm and has given me some cream for her. He said you’d have some for me?”

“The vet is right on both counts,” he assured her. “You do have ringworm and we can supply an anti-fungal cream to treat it.”

“Thanks.”

“You need to apply the cream to the ringworm patches and the surrounding few centimetres of normal skin twice daily. Use it every day until the rash is completely gone and for two weeks afterwards.”

Aggie smiled. “That’s easy to remember, it’s just the same treatment as for Suki. I was wondering if treatment is always the same?”

“Ah, no. it’s lucky for you it is in this case. There are a variety of different anti-fungal creams available and some are used more frequently or for longer periods. The instructions for your cream are all on the pack for you to refer to. In very severe cases and for some other types of fungal infection then an oral medication can be prescribed. Your infection doesn’t seem particularly severe. If your dog is the same then the cream should be effective for both of you, as I say, just follow the instructions and don’t stop treatment too soon. You should try not to scratch the rash either. I’m not sure how you’ll persuade the dog not to do that.”

“I’ve got a special collar for her.”

“Oh, one of those lampshade things?”

Aggie saw he was trying to suppress a smile as he asked.

“Yes, it’s very undignified. She’s not going to like that.”

The pharmacist laughed. “Poor dog, at least you won’t have to put up with that sort of inconvenience yourself. You just need to take precautions not to pass on the infection. The ringworm will still be contagious for a while; you shouldn’t share towels or allow others to touch the ringworm.”

“That’s no problem; it’s just me and Suki. Thanks for your help.”

“No trouble at all. I was wondering if I’d be able to see your dog. It would be interesting to compare how you both respond to the treatment.”

“I often walk her down this way; I’ll call in next time I come by.”

Aggie rang work and arranged to take her holiday early to avoid the risk of spreading the infection. She felt perfectly well, so enjoyed taking lots of long walks with Suki. Quite often the walks took her past the chemist shop and the friendly pharmacist always came out for a chat. If she’d not been working with dogs she wouldn’t have needed time away from work.

She and Suki eventually made a complete recovery from the ringworm and there are now no traces left. Suki’s hair has grown back over the patches and is just as silky as ever. Aggie’s own hair is also becoming slightly more silky. She’s started conditioning it now that she and Suki share their weekend walks with Fraser, the pharmacist.