An Anti-Rabies Shot, a Story, and the People Who Made It Easy

I walked into Dr. Care in Villamonte for an anti-rabies shot.

Not a spa day. Not a self-care appointment. An anti-rabies shot. The kind of thing you do because something with teeth made a questionable life decision involving your skin.

Naturally, I arrived mildly stressed, slightly dramatic, and already rehearsing how much I hate needles.

What I did not expect was to feel… comfortable. Almost suspiciously comfortable.

First of all, the clinic is spotless. Like “I trust this place with my bloodstream” clean. It’s also ridiculously easy to find—right along the main road on Burgos, in the busy part of the street, beside STI College. No maze, no “turn left where the old mango tree used to be,” no spiritual quest required.

Photos taken from Jethro Emmanuele

Then came Sheena and Mia.

I don’t say this lightly: they are actual angels disguised as clinic staff. Within minutes, my stress levels dropped from “I might pass out” to “So anyway, let me tell you a story.”

Because they asked the dreaded but inevitable question:
“How did you get bitten?”

And friends… that question opened the floodgates.

What started as a simple explanation somehow evolved into:

• how the bite happened,
• how that led to rescuing animals,
• how that led to owning a lot of pets,
• and how I have somehow become the person people associate with stray animals, rescues, and “just one more.”

At some point, I realized I wasn’t just getting vaccinated—I was giving a full oral history of my accidental animal kingdom.

And here’s the thing: they listened. No rushing. No polite nodding while preparing the syringe. They chatted, laughed, and made the whole experience feel human. So human, in fact, that I barely noticed when the injection happened.

Yes. The injection. The whole reason I was there.

That’s when it hit me: the real magic isn’t the procedure—it’s the people doing it.

You can survive a bad system with good people. You can endure discomfort when the staff makes you feel safe. And you can walk into a clinic nervous and walk out thinking, “Huh. That was actually… nice?”

I left feeling lighter, calmer, and weirdly looking forward to my succeeding doses. Not because I’ve suddenly developed a love for needles—but because it’s nice knowing you’ll be greeted by people who treat you like a person, not a task.

So yes, I went in for an anti-rabies shot.
I came out vaccinated, relaxed, and reminded that good service is really just good humanity, done consistently.

Also: if you ever ask someone how they got bitten, be prepared. You might get a whole pet origin story whether you wanted it or not.