One thing Alysanne has to say about this whole living off the land business, it’s that she’s getting her exercise in. With no TV and no computer or anything for fun, she’s jogging a lot with Summer. No stove means all she can really eat are salads. Nothing but salads. And she’s got to hand it to her beagle—Summer is game for anything. She just wishes Summer was a little more careful about what she gets into when she goes “hunting.” The trainset was great, but then Summer got sprayed by a skunk AND bitten by a squirrel. The latter forces her to spend some of her hard earned simoleons at the Brindleton Pawspital.
The vet gives her the side eye. “You’re the one building that clinic, aren’t you?”
Alysanne smiles weakly. It’s less than much at this point. She’s got an exam table and check in station that she found very much used on Craigslist and a trash can. That’s it.
“When you go out of business, give us a call, we’re always looking to expand.”
Alysanne leaves all the more determined to make a go of it.
She deliberately sets her prices lower than the going rate and that seems to help, but it’s so much harder than she thought it would be.
Her first patient is Rosie, who is an adorable French bulldog. Her owner, Brant, is very cordial at first. “My partner and I were thrilled to hear about a local vet opening up. Brindleton Pawspital is—” He stops as he looks around. “I love the outdoors, but . . .”
“This is temporary,” Alysanne says firmly. She has plans, big plans.
Rosie is healthy and just needs a preventative shot. Brant pays her and to her horror, immediately the money disappears. She calls the bank who refers her to the Brindleton Bay City Hall.
“Yeah, you had your pet on site,” the clerk tells her in a bored voice. “We have rules against that.”
Alysanne learns that it’s all part of some bogus scheme the city has cooked up to get revenue. The other vets are fighting it, but until the regulation is overturned, Summer’s going to have to stay at home.
What saves her is Catarina Lynx. Every time, Alysanne turns around, there she is with yet another sick animal.
Abiding by the stipulations of her grandfather’s will, Alysanne dutifully deposits half her profits from the clinic daily into her housing fund. She doesn’t mind too much. If she can’t be with Summer all the time, she wants her beagle to have the best.
Summer is deeply suspicious of the new refrigerator, though.
It’s a total grind, though. Alysanne goes to work. She comes home and poor Summer spends her time trying to contribute by digging up things Alysanne can sell.
Alysanne hires Sidney Egan. She’s not her first choice, but her good buddy, Supriya Delgato isn’t available. She’s working for Brindleton Pawspital and can’t afford to live on the wages Alysanne has budgeted.
Supriya does have a bit of advice, though. “Treats. It’s all about the treats. That’s how Brindleton Pawspital turns such a huge profit. Let your new hire handle some of the basic cases and you can focus on crafting treats. And when you’ve got the budget to hire me, give me a call.”
Alysanne's crafting does start bringing in the money. She's able to pay for siding for the exterior and at least the clinic part is now enclosed, even if there's no roof.
But it doesn’t work like that. Sidney stands around like a statue. When she does take a patient, Sidney takes hours and hours. Training doesn’t help. Whether Alysanne praises or criticizes her, she doesn’t improve. Whenever Alysanne checks up on her, she gets a smart answer back. Finally Alysanne lets her go.
“I’ll get you for this,” Sidney promises.
