For the first time in a long time I have no standing client on my schedule. The reason is the client decided to move away. The assisted living facility they moved into became too depressing. Death was a routine companion and they just didn’t want to be there anymore and they had the opportunity to move in with family to continue to get the support and care they need.
This client first called us near the end of 2023 and wanted us to care for her dog when she had to go to the hospital. It didn’t sound like a good fit at first as we don’t board dogs in our home but we decided to make an exception in this case, and it worked out very well.
I ended up walking this dog every single day on the boardwalk for over a year and then the client moved into an assisted living facility and cut down to three days a week, and because of the extra care she was getting there was no longer a need for the dog to come to our house.
Over the years we talked every time I visited and the dog was a real pleasure to walk and be around. When we started caring for her she was badly in need of grooming and not up to date on her shots. We made those suggestions and handled all her appointments. It was a very involved service.
The client also became something of a surrogate grandmother to my children. We went there this past weekend to the facilities Easter egg hunt and did the Halloween bounce houses last year. Abigail was particularly sad that the client and her dog were moving away and it was actually Abigail that gave the dog her last walk with Stable Hands.
It is one part of the business you never get over, and while this isn’t a sad goodbye it is still goodbye and I will miss seeing both the dog and the client. We view ourselves as a relationship company. Wanting to build strong relationships with our clients and their pets, and that means sometimes having to say goodbye. It has never gotten easier, and I doubt it ever will.
David Huzzard Writes 