⊰ Rocky is in the Kibbutz ⊱

I worked in a veterinary clinic for many years. When I arrived, the clinic had an old software system, which I replaced with one I built myself, alongside a manual card index. As much as I LOVE databases (and I really do love them), there's something about a manual card index that can't be computerized. The way things were written conveyed a lot of additional information about the visit - not just the doctor’s handwriting, which was often illegible, but also whether the notes were written neatly or in a rush, and so on. I think that's enough of an introduction; I can now get to the specific story.

One day, a soldier came into the clinic with a puppy and her friend. When I was about to open her a new client file, she told me that as a child, she used to come to the clinic with Rocky (not his real name) the dog she grew up with. Based on the details she provided, I found her customer number and placed her old manual card on the counter.

On the card, written in large, frantic handwriting, was a note stating that Rocky -was run over- with two lines underneath. The last treatment had been an emergency visit after an accident. He had arrived in critical condition and… had not survived his injuries.

Just as I was about to express my condolences, I heard her tell her friend, "Rocky lives in the kibbutz." It turned out that no one had ever told her. I froze for a second, then quickly placed another file over her manual card, and moved it out of sight so she wouldn’t see it, and said, "Yes, in the kibbutz…"!