Greetings Paws & Prairie Pet Parents,
Over the last several years, Paws & Prairie, as well as the entire veterinary profession, has experienced many unforeseen changes. With these changes, we have done our very best to adapt and still provide loving and exceptional care to as many patients as possible. We have seen exponential growth in people seeking veterinary care for their pets. Veterinary clinics across the nation are finding their schedules booked out for weeks to months at a time. Emergency hospital visits have an average of 4-8 hours, with some reaching maximum capacity to the point of turning away patients. Veterinary medicine, like many other fields, is also facing an extreme shortage of qualified staff. A majority of this being due to physical or emotional burnout.
As much as we at Paws & Prairie want to help our patients, there is a limit to what we can take on in a day’s time. We take same day, drop off, and often squeeze in appointments in addition to our already scheduled appointments and surgeries. We do try to accommodate emergencies as best as we can. Unfortunately, we are reaching or exceeding our patient limits almost daily. This has caused increased wait times, prolonged appointment times, longer phone hold times, busier phone lines, and delayed communications. With this being said, the palpable effect of these factors, have manifested frustrations from clients and potential clients. These frustrations have been directly expressed in extremely inappropriate, unacceptable behaviors and actions toward staff members. Our team comes to work every day for a single reason, and that is because they love animals and want to help them in any way they can. Our staff members are working very hard to accommodate the increased case load. They are not here to endure physical or verbal abuse from our clients. Beyond providing the highest quality of care for all our patients, our mission is to create a safe and engaging environment to develop and retain a skilled team, which only serves to reinforce patient care.
Considering the recent behavior of some and the need to care for our team, we will NO LONGER allow these inappropriate behaviors to continue. Effective IMMEDIATELY, a zero-tolerance policy regarding abusive behavior towards our team members will be enforced. Clients or potential clients who participate in any of the following actions/behaviors will no longer be provided services at our facility. We understand emotions run high when it comes to your beloved pets, but being respectful to someone who just wants to help you and your pet is not a big ask.
Prohibited behaviors include, but are not limited to:
- Angry outbursts or yelling at any member of our team
- Speaking in a demeaning or rude manner to any member of our team
- Vulgar language in general, but specifically calling any member of our team vulgar names or telling vulgar stories or jokes
- Disrespect towards any team member based on physical appearance, race, or gender
- Insinuating that any member of our team doesn’t care about your pet or values financial gain over your pet’s health. We will always offer the best quality of medicine for the situation.
- Unrealistic expectations of care despite being informed of our availability to care for your pet
- Threatening harm to anyone, destroying property, or to slander Paws & Prairie reputation to get your way through intimidation
We greatly value our relationship with all our clients and appreciate your continued support. The foundation of any relationship includes mutual respect and trust. Our mission is to continually provide the best possible care that we can for every pet we encounter. We appreciate your understanding and support.
Respectfully,
Paws & Prairie Animal Clinic Management & Staff