Is it right that i should be told to wait outside with my dog at the vets?

Question

.........because the receptionists can't hear when on the phone?
This is a vets waiting area not a Library.....
This wasn't just me i might add, all barking dog owners were told the same...Is it time to train my dog or time to change my vets?? Your thoughts please... ;-)

just to add....i took my dog outside out of politeness but the barking rotweiler amongst other barkers was causing my dog more stress out there, hence more barking and chaos.(it's a turn up and wait clinic)

Answer 1

..train your dog...and change your attitude. You said you took your dog outside out of politeness, so what are you whinging about? If you went to a doctors waiting room with your kids, you'd be expected to have the decency to keep them under control and quiet. The vet will expect the same of you. Oh and I liked the little jibe at the Rottweiler you had to get in there.

Answer 2

Train your dog, muzzle it, or take it outside. Vet clinic or no, it's a simple fact that an extremely loud, sharp noise (such as a dog's bark) in an enclosed space makes it impossible to hear people talking on the phone, no matter how much the receptionist might want to be accomodating to clients and their animals.

Yes, you're a customer, but is all of your business with the vet done in person? What about when you call to make an appointment, or call to check on your pet while it's at the vet? How would you feel if whenever you called, you had to shout all your questions and answers so the receptionist could hear you, and try to pick out the receptionist's voice from the general cacaphony of dogs barking in the room with her, drowning out her voice? If you'd had that experience on the phone when trying to schedule your first appointment, would you have even gone there in the first place, or would you have looked for a place that sounded more professional over the phone?

Thankfully my dog is not a barker, but if she were, I would check in with the receptionist and then offer to wait outside, out of courtesy not only to the receptionist, but to the other clients. No one wants to listen to dogs barking endlessly in an enclosed space - not even other dog owners!

Answer 3

One of my dogs can get a little unruly in the waiting room if there are other dogs around so I've taken him outside voluntarily a time or two. The last time it happened, we were in an animal hospital we'd never been to before because we were referred there for a surgical procedure. The receptionist simply said, "Oh, don't worry. We have this all the time. Let's just go ahead and take your dog back to an examination room." I thought she handled it just right.

The most important thing is that no animals or people get hurt and nobody's visit to the vet is too traumatic.

Answer 4

People get over yourselves...
if you have a dog, gain some kind of basic control over it
(for Gods sake !!!)

You think the entire buisness should come to a halt for you and your dog !?

How do you know the person on the phone didnt have an emergency?
Oh, I guess because your dog was barking and the receptionist couldnt hear - thats just too bad right?

They shouldnt take phone calls while your little dog is there barking right?

Answer 5

My dog doesn't bark at the vet but he gets very agitated which can upset other animals in the waiting room when it is busy. He is normally well behaved but the vet's waiting room stresses him out and he is not on his best behavior. So out of courtesy, I take him outside. If my dog barked, I would do the same thing. The receptionist needs to hear other customers on the phone and your dog's behavior may be frightening to other dogs and cats waiting to be treated and some of which are already ill and stressed.

I don't think her request is unreasonable. You could try training, but if that fails, spare everyone else and take him outside.

Answer 6

I would change vets, and after you do, write to your previous vet and tell them why you have changed, what happens if it's torrential rain outside? I worked as a vets receptionist for a while, and if I was on the telephone I could 'switch off' from all the noise in the waiting room, if the receptionist in your vets can't do that, then perhaps she needs to work elsewhere.

Answer 7

If you have not properly trained/socialized your dog, then yes, you should wait outside with him or her. No, a vet clinic is not a library, but the receptionists need to be able to communicate with people about their pets on the phone AND inside the clinic. A polite person would realize this and take his or her dog outside before being asked to. (and that goes for screaming kids, too!)

Answer 8

I can see why you'd be a bit put out but in all honesty, if your dog barking stops the receptionist doing her job, you can see her point. Imagine if your dog was really sick and you couldn't call the vet cos the waiting room was full of barking dogs and the receptionist coudn't hear the phone!

Answer 9

Thats a tough situation, and I understand your aggravation. I have actually been told by my vet's receptionist to wait outside once also, and believe me, 4 pet dogs standing outside in a small parking lot was not fun. She did politely ask us though to please wait outside while she had an important call. You can imagine what it was like inside the small office when the 4 dogs were in. Personally I did not leave the vet for 2 reasons, a) We've been with the vet for 10+ years and had 2 dogs put down their, and b) they are the closest vet to us, and it is much more convenient than the other vet who is 20 minutes away, this vets maybe only 10. But, in your case id take a few things into consideration, how long have u been with them? how expensive are they compared to your other local vets (if money is somewhat of an issue), how much do you trust and know the vet (for your pets sake), and finally how convenient or inconvenient will it be to find a different pets office. If you've had any other bad experiences with the vet, then it may be time to leave, otherwise I'd let this one slide.

Answer 10

Train your dog to be quiet, fill a squeezy bottle with water and squirt your dog when it barks saying quiet at the same time. soon you'll only have to pick up the bottle and then just say the word quiet. Next time you go to the vets you'll be the one staying inside.