Drunk at 9am

[k9cosmetologist]

Here's an uncomfortable situation. Regular monthly customer drops off 2 dogs this am and I think he's drunk. I'm not 100% sure, but that was my first impression. What would you do? He's driving!

[jackson'smom]

Drunk

I would try the concerned approach, "Is everything ok, maybe he is on weird medicine, I would try to get him to stay and have some coffee or something to better assess the situation, on one hand if he pays you do you want to get involved, but if he pulls out of your driveway and hits a mommy and kids you will be feeling guilty. If you can detain him and you really feel like he should not drive get someone to call 911 and send the cops out and let them decide if he should drive. God I am assuming this is a driving issue. If you go the cops route, You will undoubtedly loose him as a customer, but it may not be what you think.

[Jedd]

No, if he was drunk he would have dropped off his wife and then took the dogs for breakfast at Denny's.

[odette]

Did you smell anything? I f you aren't sure ,do nothing this time. Just keep an eye on them,ask if they are o.k. if you know them well,say you just seem a bit off today, Uncomforetable, but if you are'nt sure, don't smell alchohol, whatcan you do.

[ferretlov]

Ive had a client P/u his dog drunk-I called his wife as soon as he left and she picked him up he hadnt even left the parking lot.,came back in to tell me his car wouldnt start could he leave it overnight? LOL I said oh what a shame sure you can leave it!

[pooh13]

did you smell alcohol? a person that is diabetic can also have the same appearance when their sugar levels are too low.

[lefty]

Here's an uncomfortable situation. Regular monthly customer drops off 2 dogs this am and I think he's drunk. I'm not 100% sure, but that was my first impression. What would you do? He's driving!

>>>

I used to have 2 clients bring their dogs in when they were drunk, regularly. One was always hurrying me through the groom, calling me every half an hour because I think she wanted to get blackout drunk, but needed to pick up the dogs first. I finally called my local cops, and told them the situation, what their cars looked like and their names. They pulled one over and sobriety tested her. The husband brought the dogs in from that point on. The other one never came back.

[Doubledogdare]

If he appeared to be impaired, the cause is immaterial - he should not be behind the wheel of a car.

A diabetic problem or extreme fatigue isn't against the law, but getting behind the wheel of a car when you are not in full control of your faculties is not legal, regardless of the cause.

If he appeared impaired, sorry, I would have phoned the cops.

Better to err on the side of caution than hear on the news he killed three people besides himself when he blew a red light six blocks from the shop.

[Helly]

I really would have asked him if he was okay, and tried to assess the situation. A diabetic person who is hypoglycemic is facing death if not treated. And they often do seem to be drunk. They'll also have a peculiar smell to their breath caused by the build up of ketone bodies in their blood.

Some neurological conditions can cause a person to appear drunk, too. Most notably cerebral palsy. But it's kinda difficult to ask a client "Do you have CP?"

I know it's a difficult position to be in. Nobody wants to lose a client. But if you don't contact the authorities and let them deal with it, you may lose the client anyway. If the guy is a hypoglycemic diabetic he'll die if he doesn't get treatment. If he's on some form of medication that's causing a reaction, he might die from the meds, or he might die when he smashes his car. If he is drunk, well, drunks die in car crashes too. And with any of the above situations, he's likely to take a few innocent people with him.

Personally I'd rather call the cops and risk losing a client over it than put others at risk, and feeling responsible if there's an accident.

[grooming goddess]

Last year I had one customer that was drunk every time she came in. There isn't a thing you can do about it and it isn't your problem. I'd recommend just staying out of it. People have to come to the realization that they have a problem on their own. The best thing you could do would call the police and report a drunk driver as soon as they leave your shop.

[SiberianLover]

You could just ask, "Do you feel okay to drive, or can I call someone for you?"

That way you aren't insinuating anything except you noticed they were a bit unsteady.

Good luck. I don't envy you at all.

[Alice]

No, if he was drunk he would have dropped off his wife and then took the dogs for breakfast at Denny's.

LMAO...

I agree with Grooming Goddess though. If you are worried about the driving, maybe report that, but otherwise it is not your business and there is nothing you can say to an alcoholic that is going to help in this situation. (Assuming that the showing up drunk at 9 a.m. indicates alcoholism, of course.)

[Helly]

Last year I had one customer that was drunk every time she came in. There isn't a thing you can do about it and it isn't your problem. I'd recommend just staying out of it. People have to come to the realization that they have a problem on their own. The best thing you could do would call the police and report a drunk driver as soon as they leave your shop.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. Drunk or impaired drivers are a problem for ALL of us. You may not be able to get the guy to sober up, but you can sure as he!! try to keep him from driving. If that doesn't work, call the cops and get him off the streets before he kills someone.

And I'll be you everyone who has lost a loved one to a drunk driver would agree. If someone had taken the time to try and stop the drunk, maybe their loved one would still be alive.

[downtowndog]

drunk

I have never met anybody who appeared to be intoxicated ( assuming they were ) EVER admit to "having too much" OR not being ok to drive. Unless I expect to hear a lie, they always will answer that they are fine, or come up with some kind of excuse to cover their arse. If I suspect they have been drinking, or have any kind of drug problelm, I do not ask. I actually called the police a couple of weeks ago. I called as soon as the person walked out my door. I said that "I suspected the person to have been under the influence" and gave description of vehicle & address that I had on file. I also asked to remain anonymous. This way I felt I did the right thing that was comfortable for me.

[ScottysCally]

A regular customer came in last august, dropped his two dogs off, and was acting "differently" than normal. A few hours later he came back to get them, had his 4 or 5 year old boy with him and he was very noticebly drunk. called the cops and they picked him up and soon as he left the parking lot. His wife came to pick up the little boy who was crying hysterically and the two dogs.
if we didnt call the cops and seen on the news that he killed his son and/or another driver it would have been the worst guilt that i didnt want on my shoulders. Needles to say they have not been back...