The clock ticked slowly for Dena Bedson Friday as she worked the day after Thanksgiving at the Animal Medical Center on John R. Junkin Drive.

&uot;Somebody has to be here with the animals. It might as well be me,&uot; Bedson said.

Because of the holiday, no one brought their pets to the clinic and only a few pets were spending the day at the clinic’s kennel.

&uot;Normally over the holidays we have a lot more animals boarding,&uot; Bedson said.

But on Friday, only one cat was staying at the shelter, Bedson said.

One dog was waiting to be picked by an owner after recovering from an illness and some of Dr. Alton Hall’s dogs were also at the shelter.

Other than that, Bedson saw little activity at the clinic on a rainy Friday afternoon.

&uot;That’s all I do is baby-sit dogs,&uot; Bedson said with a laugh.

Bedson assists with the animals and does paperwork for the clinic and for its formaldehyde plant on U.S. 61 South.

The clinic sells the formaldehyde to fish hatcheries to kill a fungus that grows on fish eggs, Bedson said.

But because of the slow day, Bedson spent Friday &uot;baby-sitting dogs&uot; and answering the phone on the few times it did ring.

&uot;I’ve had three wrong numbers and one person checking to see if the Doc was going to be in to give shots today,&uot; Bedson said. &uot;They,re going to come in Monday (today).&uot;

One man also came by to ask for directions to Fenwick.

Because of the clinic’s prominent location next to the Mississippi River Bridge, Bedson said that happens often.

&uot;Everybody stops here for directions,&uot; Bedson said, joking that she should probably charge them.

The Dart is a weekly feature in which a reporter throws a dart at a map and finds a story wherever it lands.