How do you like your chosen veterinarian’s office? In a perfect world, appointments would be made based on the quality of care, a good convenient location, and plenty of open appointment times available. In reality, sometimes an office is chosen solely because it is close to home, or because it offers the lowest prices and that is all the pet owner can afford. It makes sense, as few pet owners can make a run to the vet’s office at the drop of a hat, unless it is an extreme emergency of course. It may be that often the only time you have is 20 minutes before work. A veterinarian office that works with your schedule can be a life-saver.

Sometimes you have to compromise as a pet owner. Maybe you do take your dog to the very modern office, but take care of their grooming yourself, or vice versa. Maybe your cat needs special medication each month, so you take her to the cost-effective clinic. Offering a pet the best care that you can, while giving them a loving home that meets their basic needs for food, shelter, and affection. But sometimes, even that level of care is not enough, whether due to old age, illness, or accident. For pet owners who have formed a bond with their dog, cat, bird, etc, it can be emotionally devastating. It helps to have that pain acknowledged, even if it is only through personalized sympathy cards. People without pets can at times be insensitive because they cannot understand the attachment that forms between a pet and their owner.

Offices like to send out reminder post cards for appointments, and sometimes veterinary welcome cards show up in the mail after a first visit. You may take note of the post card, being slightly impressed the office you chose takes the time to do such things, as they intend you to. The veterinarian’s office sending an email reminder is simply not the same as sending veterinary reminder postcards. About 70% of survey adults feel that postage mail is just more personalized, probably because it slightly inconveniences the sender. When a task is annoying or tedious but a person does it regardless it means they care.

Did you know about 63% of U.S. homes have a pet of some sort? Some may be surprised the numbers are not higher. It takes work to look after a living thing; even fish need specialized care. A cat requires more care, and a dog still more due to their need for walks. A pet owner is responsible for their pet’s food, shelter, exercise, medical care, and physical care such as grooming. It is not surprising we get so attached to our pets, considering how much time we devote each day to their continued happiness. In return, their very presence gives us joy. Perhaps we humans do not dislike the veterinarian’s office as much because we know we are not the ones getting a vaccine.

If a mailed post card means something to the receiver, even if it is from a business, this raises the question of how comforting can personalized sympathy cards really be to the receiver. But it is not about taking away all of the person’s pain. Personalized sympathy cards are just a reminder to the receiver that someone understands that they are in pain, and missing their pet. In a time when just about everything is automated and digital, it can be nice to hold someone’s tangible effort at comfort, even if it is from an office.