Veterinarians

One of our dogs, Panda, needed to have some surgery today at the vets. She had her teeth cleaned and she had a growth on her ear removed. We scheduled both for the same day so that should would only have one traumatic day. But it was 2 different vets at the animal hospital that did the surgery.

What has always amazed and amused me about the Animal Hospital of North Asheville is how awesome they
are and how much they check up on you. I always wished that our pediatrician had been as in touch with us. First we had a check in appointment today where everything was thoroughly explained to me. Then when Panda was in surgery, we had phone calls from each of the doctors, and one after she went into recovery. And, they were very thorough with written instructions on how to care with her tonight besides verbally reviewing everything with us.

And, I know that during the next few days they will call us at least 2 more times to check in with Panda (or more). Based on past history with this group, you never feel neglected and they are always available to answer questions or concerns.

So, why when I need to talk to my regular physician is it so hard to get someone to return a call? Or to check up on us afterwards, or to see if we need more information. I think one big thing is that with animals who can't express themselves in words, they want to make sure we know what to expect. And customer service is paramount, when everything that is done for them is really "elective". We don't typically have insurance for dogs, and they want us to be satisfied and wanting to come back to their practice. In fact, one of the other vets stopped by to chat with me for a few minutes while I was in the waiting room and I got a chance to ask her about the med dosage for my other dog.

So, this is really a thank you to the awesome care that my dogs receive at the animal hospital, and to let everyone know that great customer service makes a difference in everything that all of us do!

Snow Pictures

I finally got my picture software loaded onto my computer, and downloaded my snow photos. I love my new 12 megapixel camera with lots of options (but not too many for me to handle). I ended up getting one without a view finder which is the hardest change for me to handle, I have trouble figuring out which way to hold the camera to get what I want in the picture. (For anyone who cares, it is a Panasonic Lumix DMC-CR1with a Leica Lens, and 8X optical zoom). Picture to left is neighbors house, then Panda playing in the snow.

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Not sure why these penguins are hiding out inside, when they should be out in the snow. But, here they are being grateful for being displayed once a year. (They are part of a large penguin collection that I have). The bear thought that dressed as a penguin he could be part of the grouping.

After the new year we are heading to Disney World. Am looking forward to new camera and being able to download pictures and viewing during our vacation.

Technorati Tags: Snow,Dogs,Penguins

Dog Care While Traveling

I absolutely love my dogs -- Panda and Athena. They were both rescue dogs and they have brought me a lot of smiles, especially when they are stealing toys from each other, or demanding to be pet, or just running around being crazy. But, the thing I don't like is figuring out dog care when we go on a trip. It makes spontaneity a lot harder (such as on Friday saying "lets go away for the weekend"). Through the years we have used a kennel (where you had to pay extra if you brought your own food, and extra for daily walks in the woods), and house sitters (one ended up having a baby nine months later), to bringing to a person who had cabins just for dogs, and they had cable TV, and each cabin area had its own fenced in yard. (But then she moved to TN). And she didn't charge extra for walks! So, due to circumstances our current house/dog sitter is no longer available and I try to figure this out all over again. Standard kennels just won't do for these wonderful rescue dogs. Athena, the older one, just gets too strung out. (Panda is shown in the picture).

So, today I visited a lady with a fenced in yard, and a dog friendly house, and the dogs get the run of the house and the yard (sounds like here). Her rates are reasonable, not too far away from the house, and she had a good recommendation. Well, my dogs had a blast in her yard and house, were OK with her dogs, and we ended up sitting and visiting together for longer than I thought. Now, I can breathe easier and know that at least for my next few family trips I have dog care figured out. I mean, it is like hiring a sitter, not just anyone will do. Yeah, one problem solved.