Today was one of those days when I wished I'd just stayed in my cozy cave at home.  It started with an angry cat named, Downy, who had spent the night at the all-night pet hospital.  He was very grouchy.  I wasn't sure what caused the anger; being up all night, being away from his mother, or having the red plastic tube tied to his boy parts.  Late last night Downy couldn't get his yellow marking liquid out and he had to have a special tube put in to help him out.  Downy didn't see it as help at all and was screaming to anyone and everyone. 
Mother gave him some special fluid in the tube in his leg, which slowed down the screaming to a slow moan.  "Out, out, get it out" he growled on and on.
Next a large fuzzy Husky dog named Beast arrived to stay for the day.  Beast was an 80 pound dog in a 110 pound body, and he was having trouble with one of his back legs.  Father came in to help give Beast the pinch medicine because in addition to talking lots, Beast enjoyed lunging with snapping teeth at anyone who came to put a leash on him.  Dad gave him the pinch and got lots of pictures of him on the humming table.  "Bad hips" dad said, " medicine will help, but not as much as losing 30 pounds!" dad advised.  It all seemed easy enough until Beast woke up from his nap.  Then the singing started, "Home, home, home. Time to go home, home, home.  Please, please, please, time to go home, home, home". Over and over, and over again.  Beast said nothing else for hours, in a voice so high, I thought maybe only me and Bea could hear it until I heard mother pleading with Beast to go back to sleep.
Blue was an old pointer that had been diagnosed with Cushing's disease about a year ago.  Cushing's disease is the one that causes dogs to get really hungry and thirsty, to make lots of yellow marking liquid and to pant a lot.  Blue had taken medication for the past year and was doing well, but he was visiting today to get the red syrup taken to make sure everything was ok to stay on the medication.  Blue had stayed here before and always been quiet.  After a few minutes of listening to Beast, Blue started in:  "I'm here, I'm here, I'm here too.  Pet me, pet me, pet me too". Blue had a surprisingly high voice for a large boy dog.
I tried my best to bury my head under Bea.  Vonnie, mother and even Sweet Sally took turns trying to make the voices stop, but they went on and on.
"Time to go home, home, home" whined Beast, "pet me, pet me, pet me too"  added Blue, "Get it out, get it out" howled Downy; on and on went the musical chorus of saddened pets.  You know it's a strange day when I'm the quiet one.  Mother held it all together as best she could, always holding one hand over her ear when talking into the number machine on the wall.
Luckily, Friday is our short day, and just when I thought my ears were going to start bleeding, everyone went home.  As mother would say, "Thank goodness for small favors."  Funny, I always thought she was talking about me when she said that!