Is Your Vet's Office A Secure Place To Leave Your Pet?

I am still reeling from my recent loss. This spring we rescued 3 dogs who were dumped by some moron in the woods near our home. When we picked them up they were full of fleas, ticks and worms and were near death. We spent all summer nursing them back to health and paid vet bills in the hundreds of dollars for them. We found homes for two of the pups and decided to keep the third....a real sweetheart we named Jack.

Being responsible pet owners, we took Jack in for his neuter in September. Because we live on a creek and Jack loved the water and the mud, we boarded him at the vet's for a few days to give him a chance to heal well.

Over the weekend that he was boarded, some other morons broke into the vet's clinic and, probably because the dogs were barking at them, released the dogs in the kennel. Our dog got out on the highway and was killed! We were stunned and heart broken. I never thought to ask about the security at the vet's over the weekend. I just took it for granted that they would have a burglar alarm and I did not know that they were keeping my dog in a kennel out back that didn't even have a lock on the door when no one was there!!!

I am urging everyone on the board to check out the security of a vet's office or kennel whenever boarding an animal there. Make sure your pet is kept in a locked building with a security system when no one is there. Also ask if they have a sprinkler system and fire alarm. I wish I had. My Jack would be here with me now.

my vets office is right beside her home and she hjas a alarm that is hooked to the house, so i think its safe there, i have had to leave my cats there for treatment and i never worried about that happening as much as fire and carbon mox. posioning. my moms friend lost her 2 dogs to carbon last year in pa. but i guess thats the chance you take any where, things can happen, i pray that nothing like that happens to my boys or any one for that fact

sorry i got caught up on my last post, im so sorry for what happened to jack, some people are sooooo goofy and mean....

Thanks. If any good comes out of my dog's death, I hope it is in alerting other pet owners to ask a lot of questions about security before leaving their animals in the charge of others.

The office that I take my cats to for their shots is not safe & secure. That is why I won't leave them over there unless absolutely necessary. I really wish that I could find a new vet that isn't too far from home that I can trust.

This is something I hadn't thought about before, since I had always just assumed my cats were safe if they had to be left at the vet clinic overnight. Since I read your tragic story about Jack, I have changed my mind and will definitely ask questions about security next time.

R.I.P. little Jack!

Lorie - Thank you! You've made me very happy. If telling Jack's story can save even one other animal from suffering needlessly, then he will not have died in vain. Here's my sweet Jack. He only lived to be 6 months old.

Poor Jack! He was a cutie!

I never even thought of that - will definitely have to check before leaving my babies anywhere.

Jack looked like a great dog! The vet i am going to now is inside the Petsmart. its Banfield. If I ever need to leave Amber there for whatever reason I think it is pretty safe, being connected to a store and all.

I'm so sorry about your Jack.

Jack was a beautiful pup and it looked like he was going to be a fantastic companion. I'm so sorry for your loss of Jack.

My vet lives in the same building that he has his practice in and the security is more than tight. If any animal has to stay with him he puts a special collar on them as he has the invisible fencing. Mind you this is for the dogs I don't know about the cats.

But, I do know that he does let a lot of the kittens/cats stay in his part of the house where he keeps a very close eye on all of them. Also, he always has someone staying in the area where he keeps the practice and he has a Security Alarm, Fire Alarm and Carbon Monoxide Detectors throughout the practice and his house.

My fur family are quite safe with him and I just wish that more Vets would take the time and effort and do what my Vet has done. The reason for all of the security he told me is because up here in the summer we have people come up to vacation and he doesn't trust them one single bit. He also lives next door to 2 major golf courses which would give the golfers an opportunity to do a lot or some damage!

With the prices we pay to have our animals taken care of I think that every single one of us has paid for the Vet to add 100% total security!

Thanks everyone. Yes, Jack was a wonderful pup. He seemed to try to do just what we wanted him to.

Rfox.....our vet was attached to a pet and feedstore too. The theives made a hole through the wall into the store and stole money and other things in the pet store.

This vet office was in a newer building with all the amenities. Who would have thought they had absolutely no security? Everyone should ask questions and never assume their pet is safe when left to board.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss of Jack. I have never thought about the security of a vet's office before . . . I will be sure to ask, though, whenever I am going to leave Luna somewhere over night. R.I.P. Jack! He was such a gorgeous dog!