American Dog: Life Happens When You Are Making Other Plans

Meet Rocky, an adorable bundle of energy who arrived to greet his new Mum and Pop last weekend.  Well, almost.

Rocky has been the dog of Geraldine's dreams and after a formidable search with her newlywed husband, Fergus, found Mr. Rocky and had him scheduled for delivery to expand their family from two to a loving group of three.

All was well with Rocky's planned arrival.  Fergus and Geraldine had purchased all the provisions they believe they needed for Rocky's arrival.  The tiny collar, the little kennel carrier, a tiny bed, healthy food, a toy or two and an instruction book for new puppy.

Geraldine, a temporary transplant from Manhattan, was scheduled for surgery at the Brigham with just a one night recovery planned so all was well timed for Rocky's arrival.  Well, until "life happens while making other plans," as they say.

Rocky was en route through friends and, well, Geraldine was not en route from the hospital.  Following surgery, Geraldine needed to stay longer in the hospital than anticipated by anyone.  Poor Fergus, a virtual puppy novice, called Fenway Bark to see if we could help.

Since Fenway Bark isn't quite open yet for general hotel and boarding, and a youngster such as Mr. Rocky would typically be too young for boarding anyway, I volunteered to take Mr. Rocky to my home to meet the Board of Directors to help Geraldine and Fergus out.

Elated, Fergus showed up with a wide eyed Rocky in his little carrier.  And, with as much hand holding as we could offer, gave Fergus our advice on Rocky's care and a plan of action for visiting and caring for Rocky while his wife was recovering from her surgery on an extended stay at the Brigham. 

Fergus was like a new father, cooing at his little boy and enjoying every moment of his time with Rocky.  Fergus even noted that Rocky was attracted to his wedding ring so he must already be committed to the family.  Rocky, realizing that he had good thing going, adopted Fergus right away, even before Fergus had finished reading the owner's manual.



We all grew to enjoy both Rocky and Fergus over the next few days and Geraldine continued to recover.

There is a great moral to this story that dovetails nicely into one of the services we offer at Fenway Bark.  Simply because life does happen while making other plans, it is important to be prepared in the event your dog or cat needs our care.

Yes, Aunt Nancy may take care of your pet most of the time but sometimes Aunt Nancy may not be available when you need her, particularly in an emergency.  Likewise, the neighborhood teenager may be a good option for pet care when your pet is healthy but when your pet's care gets more complicated with diabetes, arthritis or medicine administration, you may need a plan B like Fenway Bark.

Finally, sometime medical emergencies happen.  If your pet is registered at Fenway Bark with vaccination records on file, we will work with police to bring your pet to Fenway Bark for care so that YOU can get the care YOU need without the anxiety of wondering about the condition of your pet.

Do you know someone who lives alone who should have their pet registered at Fenway Bark because if a medical emergency happened to them, there would be no one to care for their pets?  Help them register on line for Fenway Bark so we can help that person in need when the time comes.  Ask any hospital social worker and they can share stories of people who refused treatment because of concern for their pet's care while they would be hospitalized.

Preparation reduces anxiety whether you are a road warrior, a medical emergency, or a free spirit who likes to pick up and go but needs pet care.

Register now.  You will be glad you did!  You will need your veterinary records, food information, and emergency contact information to complete the form.

Yes, our form is long but it is because we care enough to ask the questions.

As always, your recommendation and word of mouth on Fenway Bark makes a big difference to a small business like Fenway Bark.  Thank you for sharing information with your pet loving peers about our services.