Trust

Gavin had his big MedVet day yesterday. Because of cancer, cancer, heart disease, cancer, cancer, and cancer, he spends an entire day with the oncology team four times a year and his cardiologist once yearly.

I’m fortunate that I’ve met and made eye contact and seen the gentleness and kindness of the professionals I trust to X-ray, examine, care for my dog for hours on end. That’s not always the case. Two years ago, Gavin broke two and fractured one tooth, leading us to the local veterinary dental expert. I was told that, on appointment day, if I agreed to the quote and plan Dr. Klein had for Gavin, I would leave him for surgery. Leave my baby with someone I’d never met? My veterinarians and friends had nothing but gushing words about Dr. Klein, but I was a ball of nerves leading up to the day and surely a pain in the butt to his staff with all the questions I had for them.

When Dr. Klein walked into the room, he said a friendly and professional hello to me. He simultaneously noticed Gavin was nervous, so he crouched down and started talking in this oogley googley voice while looking in Gavin’s mouth and using big words to describe what he saw and was going to do. In all of 30 seconds, both Gavin and I relaxed.

I know many of you have had to take a leap of faith with your four-legged best friends. That because of COVID-19, you may have never been inside the clinic where your dogs are cared for and treated. And, I also know that, because we’ve never met, made eye contact, or seen each other interact with our dogs, that you trusting me to make your dog(s)’ treats is an act of faith.

I never take that for granted, ever. To make super fresh ingredients shelf-stable requires intricate processes and testing. Now that we’re (my lovely kitchen assistant and I) making larger batches, I test the pH of every batch 70 or so times. I decide during the blending process how many pouches we’re going to make that day, based solely on food safety protocols. We have a limited time to take the product out of the hot water jacketed kettles, fill, then sterilize pouches and move through our cooling process. I take my processes very seriously because I take the safety of my products very seriously, and I take your trust very seriously.

So, thank you from the bottom of my heart for trusting me (and Cammie). And, I’m happy to report that Gavin received gold stars all around yesterday. That too, I don’t take for granted, ever.