Valley Vetco is lacking in animal care awareness and insight into the situations of pet owners. It is Covid 19 season, and I am aware adjustments to service need to be made for safety, but Valley Vetc... Read More
Valley Vetco is lacking in animal care awareness and insight into the situations of pet owners. It is Covid 19 season, and I am aware adjustments to service need to be made for safety, but Valley Vetco needs to rethink their "protocol". I arrived before 9 am to sign in (name and phone number. No confidentiality.) for service. I signed in on page 3. It looked like there were about 17 people ahead of me. I was told "we don't know" regarding an approximate wait time. (Something like, 'we can see X number of pets per hour', would have been helpful.) I was informed I could only wait in my car and "we will call you". The rules included I could not be outside of my car. When inquiring about safety of the dogs sitting in a car in the heat, I was told, "You have air conditioning, don't you?" I am not a mechanic, but I do not feel it is good for a car to idle with the air on for long periods of time. Also, I believe idling cars contribute to air pollution. (What about the patrons who could not afford to run their car for long periods of time?) I was not feeling good about this, but I have used Valley Vetco for many years for all six of my fur buddies, so I went with it. After periodic check-ins (with a mal attitude each time), and THREE hours, I entered the "No Sit Zone" outside of the shop. I was questioned why I was sitting in the “Zone”. I explained I was waiting to be called. The young woman (same one, with an unhelpful attitude, black hair with blue highlights) stated she had already called me. I had not received a phone call. She stated she had called me on a bullhorn. (Why take my phone number?!?) I explained I could not have heard her due to being parked far from the entrance, the air conditioner was on, and the street noise from Montano. She stated, "That's why we tell everyone to leave their windows cracked." (I was not not informed of this.) I stated that I felt their system was lacking. It did not include the health and safety of the patients. I suggested it needed adjustment. She replied, "This is PROTOCOL." Now, I'm hot, tired, frustrated. My two dogs (10 years old) are hot, tired, frustrated and thirsty. No water, no apologies for the miscommunication, just a bunch of defensive attitude. So, now I am allowed to sit in the "Zone". She places me at the end of the list. I am the second to last person seen before they closed. (The last person was an elderly woman with a cane and a sob story). Total time for two dogs to be weighed, be seen (separately) by the doctor, and receive several shots: 4 minutes. As the young woman with the pronounced attitude stated, "You have a choice where you go." I will take that advice. Thank you. Read Less