“Am I the only one who doesn’t know what the ‘trots’ are?”
Kathy, the receptionist at our veterinarian hails from Scotland and was delighted the first time I brought our newly adopted Westie, Winston, in for a checkup. He picked up on her accent and could hardly contain himself. She made a point of coming out to say hello, so glad to greet a “country cousin.”
The visit was cut short as a gentleman brought an older dog through the front door. She whispered, “This one’s not too friendly. Keep hold of your leash.”
The patient didn’t seem aggressive. No wonder: her owner had drugged her up with some Trazodone in preparation for today’s visit. She hardly paid attention to the other dogs and cats in the waiting room. Returning to her desk, Kathy asked, “Did you bring in a sample?”
“No. We’ve been walking around for the last half hour, and nothing.” Of course. She was there because of an hourly need to poop. Now? Nada.
As they sat in a different section of the waiting room, Kathy told us a story about the young man sitting with her, answering most of the incoming phone calls. She shared how he recently put a caller on hold to ask, “What are the ‘trots’?”
Every cat and dog owner in the waiting room laughed out loud.
Embarrassed but a good sport, he asked, “Am I the only one who doesn’t know what the ‘trots’ are?”
I said, “I think it’s a clinical term” and we all laughed a little more.
We’ve got plenty of euphemisms to describe this bodily function. I hear new ones all the time. So I guess we can give him a pass for not knowing what the ‘trots’ are.
