My two puppies were my first ‘babies’ and like any mother, I wanted the best care and treatment possible for my little buddies. I found this sometimes took some investigating and an open mind. I had only lived in my area a short time when I first adopted my pups and relied on word-of-mouth and internet searches to find a vet and groomer. Our realtor, who had a dog of her own, recommended a vet that she swore was the best in the area so I made an appointment for my pups to get their initial check-ups and vaccinations. After the first two or three visits, I realized this was not the place for me.

This particular vet was very popular so getting an appointment was difficult and the waiting room was mass chaos. Every time I visited with the pups, a different vet would attend to them and when they did happen to get a vet more than once, they never remembered my dogs. This works well for many people but I prefer to have consistency and routine so I set out to find a vet who better met my needs. After a little research, I found a vet that happened to be very close to my home. The vet had an office that was ‘old school’ with décor and equipment from the 1960’s, however, there was a very small staff and a waiting room that only had one other person with their pet. After two visits, I knew this vet was a keeper. The staff was warm and friendly and welcomed me and my pups by name on each visit. There was only one attending vet so he quickly became familiar with my pups, their personalities, their health and their quirks.

My pups are Shih Tzus and I prefer to keep their hair shorter so it does not become matted and is easier to keep clean. This requires them to have their hair cut every six to eight weeks so finding a good groomer in the area was a must. I started taking my pups to someone who was very close to my home. This groomer was the only one in the area, which made him very popular and booking an appointment was difficult. The office was newly decorated and immaculate – on the first visit I thought this may be the place for me. However, the groomer did not do quality work and was extremely expensive. He did not have a good eye for detail and often left areas unevenly groomed or forgot to do things like trim the pup’s nails or around their eyes.

I started looking for a new groomer and found one that was not terribly close to home (about a 20-minute drive each way) but decided to give them a try. When I pulled up to the groomer, I was a bit shocked…the building as a run-down, little house with sweaty windows. However, despite appearances, this groomer was amazing. The two sisters running the business were hard workers who love animals and did an amazing job on my pups. They took special care of them during their visits, which made me feel good. I was most impressed when my vet commented on how the grooming my dogs were receiving was helping the health of their eyes, ears and coat. This made the 20-minute drive well worth it!

Finding the right fit for my pups and my personality took a little time and perseverance, however, I feel good about those who care for my pets and I am happy I took the time to find what works best for us.

By Kirsten Goulet