April 28, 2010
"Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living;
the other helps you make a life." -Sandra Carey
"Wisdom is knowing what to do next, skill is knowing how to do it..." -David Starr Jordan
"The highest form of wisdom is kindness." --the Talmud
I'm often asked about the criteria people should use when choosing a veterinarian to care for their precious and beloved pets. Location? Specialty training? Cost? Facility and equipment?
Sure, all of these variables are important to consider, but for me, experience and wisdom trump them all. In short, I look for a veterinarian who embodies the essence of the three quotes used above. I want to work with veterinarians who are skilled, but who enhance their knowledge with wisdom from their own lives. I want to work with veterinarians who are successful enough to offer me all the bells and whistles, yet prioritize being kind when I need their understanding.
Skill and wisdom used together are a potent combination. My advice? Don't settle for one without the other...
April 21, 2010
"We cannot do great things-we can only do small things with great love."
-Mother Teresa
The other day, a friend of mine described a sweet encounter with her newly adopted cat Buddy.
Now, Buddy used to be a "street urchin"...a rough and tumble alley cat who had few manners and little experience being a "pet". When my friend took him in, he was challenging. He stole her food, bullied her for attention, and bit her hand when she tried to scratch between his ears.
My friend had her doubts about Buddy, but she is the kind of pet parent who makes a life commitment. Slowly, with great patience and small, consistent kindnesses, my friend began to win him over. And Buddy calmed down.
He learned to wait and trust and love because she knew how to wait and trust and love...
The other day, as my friend was leaving her house, she reached out to give Buddy a good-bye scratch between his ears. Instead of trying to bite her hand, he laid his head in her palm. He even gave her hand a little love rub
...a small thing, done with great love...
April 14, 2010
People who have just received 'bad news' about their pets often speak and behave "oddly." Stress, especially emotional distress, can cause all of us to act in ways that are out of character. In shock or grief, we may babble, make excuses, or even lash out in anger.
If this happens with your clients, are you able to see beyond their behavior and know that they are probably hurting and grieving inside? During times like these, if you can comfort rather than criticize, you'll probably find that you have a loyal client for life.
Poet Dina Maria Mulock Craik wrote, "Oh, the comfort... the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person having neither to weigh thought or measure words, but pouring them all right out just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away."
April 7, 2010
"Love talked about can be easily turned aside, but love demonstrated is irresistible."
-W. Stanley Mooneyham
Isn't this why we bond so deeply with pets? Because they don't spout empty words and promises of love?
"...of course I love you! We'll spend time together as soon as I get this project done!"
"...what is love anyway? Isn't it enough for you that I'm here?"
"...you know I love you more than anything in the world...oh, hang on a minute while I step into the next room and read this text message from (insert any name currently familiar from Jessie's or Tiger's vast entourage!)
Pets don't play games with love. When they love us, they mean it. And they show it.
Be they cat, dog, guinea pig, or bird, demonstrations of a pet's love include: joyful greetings at the door, purring leg rubs while cooking dinner, drooling smiles after afternoon walks, ecstatic squealing as you approach a cage, happy whistling when you enter a room, long naps beside you sleeping as close as possible to your left leg...
You know what I'm talking about.
Love from other people, when it's true and real, has no comparison. Love from a pet needs no comparison. Almost without exception, it is always true and real.
