Puppies Deserve Good Customer Service, Too

My boyfriend and I recently adopted a puppy from the Humane Society. George, our puppy, is a Great Dane/Catahoula Leopard mix, and at six months is already weighing in at around 50 pounds.

As you can see, George loves cameras.

Being a rescue dog, he came with some of the standard health issues. He had an upper respiratory infection as well as a parasitic infection that he most likely picked up while still on the streets. We brought George home on a Wednesday, but by Thursday night we could see that he wasn’t doing too well. We had scheduled a first-week vet check up at Zoot Pet Hospital, but the URI was causing a lot of vomiting and a bloody nose. The next morning my boyfriend called Zoot to see if we could get an earlier appointment.

The staff was amazing. They were very empathetic toward our concerns (as a first-time “puppy-mom” I tend to overreact) and rearranged their schedules to see George that day. And because my office is 40 miles away, they offered to keep him for doggy day care for the whole day, free of charge. Throughout the day, I also received phone calls updating me on George’s condition and the findings from his exam. I found the staff to be not only accommodating, but also professional and informative.

George taking a nap on the couch.

I don’t know what the top vet schools in the nation are, so I wouldn’t know if one veterinary office has a better-trained staff than another. But when I went to pick up George, he was happy, excited, and didn’t want to leave. The staff had already given him his first dose of medication for his infections, so his energy level was off the wall. They also spoiled him with treats, one-on-one play time outside, and oodles of attention. I spent about 5 minutes talking with one of the nurses about his medication in the lobby. In that time, at least a dozen staff members came by to say good-bye to George, and each one knew him by name. While I’d like to think that George was excited to see me, I still don’t think he wanted to go home after the rock-star treatment he received there.

A few days later, George received a hand-written card in the mail from the staff at Zoot, thanking him for visiting them. There were over 2 dozen signatures on the card, and even a few personalized “get well soon” notes. Included with the card was a voucher for one free day of doggy day care.

I may not know much about animal health care, but I know that I trust the staff at Zoot to take care of my puppy. (And the staff is very well trained!) The customer service and bedside manner was more than I could have hoped for. George has been back a few times for doggy day care, and each time, he never wants to leave.