When things go wrong
At an after-school activity the other day I watched as a child accidentally got hurt. The people in charge were very helpful and sent the child off with her parent. I’m not sure if the child went to the doctor or what, but I found myself thinking about the kennel and things that happen here.
We will be the first to say that accidents happen, even here. If you ever visit a kennel or day care facility that won’t fess up to bad things that have happened, then they are not being honest with you or themselves. I’ve heard lots of different stories being in the industry: pet sitters who have accidentally had the bird get out and the dog eats it; pet sitters whose charges have gotten away from them; groomers who have seriously cut a dog; kennels that have dropped a dog. The list goes on. We ourselves have had dogs literally escape the kennel or the walker. We’ve dealt with punctures in day care from other dogs. We’ve even had dogs die while with us. Trust me, nothing happens on purpose and it all eats at us. And eats at us.
Since we know that accidents happen, what is most important is how the kennel, day-care, pet-sitter, or facility reacts and responds to that accident. Our goal is to first treat the pet and to notify the owners. Once we know that the pet or the situation is stabilized, then we assess and discuss. Our primary goal, once we have taken care of the pet and the owner, is to ensure that the same mistake does not happen again.
In our situation, if the mistake is our fault or we feel we could have prevented the accident, then we will assume financial responsibility for a certain percentage of any accompanying bills. Many times, even when something happens that is clearly not our fault, out of good faith and customer service, we will also assume part of the bills. Once the pet is no longer in our care, we will follow up on the progress of the animal. Not only do we want to continue our relationship with that customer, we truly do value your pets as our own, and never want them to be in pain or be fearful coming to us.
We are up front about the fact that things happen here, very rarely, but they happen. I am sure that I have scared a customer or two, who say things like, “And if anything ever happened to my baby…” I very quickly stop them, letting them know that I cannot make that guarantee. We will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of your babies while they are with us, but accidents happen. Things happen.
Instead, what I can guarantee is that we don’t take any accident lightly and we do use every experience as a learning experience. We also never forget a situation, no matter how long its been. We’ve changed entire routines based on a minor accident with a pet in our care.
So the next time something happens, unless gross negligence is in play, watch how the situation is treated. Then pause to consider, if it was truly an accident and the situation has been handled as well as possible, has the shoe ever been on my own foot? Have I ever had things happen that I never meant to? Humans err. It isn’t a perfect system, but it allows us to grow and learn, and to continually be humble.