Northview Animal Hospital

Review: I took my 1-year-old Rottweiler to the VCA Northview Animal Hospital Specialty Referrel Center in North Hills. My dog and I waited patiently in the waiting area while other dogs were aggressive towards my dog. So, when I asked the vet why she asked us to go to another room, she responded, "Sugar seemed stressed." I responded, "Sugar is not the aggressor and the other people with the aggressive dogs should have been asked to go to another room." I waited over 2 hours to be seen by a vet and I decided to leave. Before, I left I asked for a phone number to file a complaint and was told that the manager would call me. I said, "No, I would like to call her." Once I got, the number the vet said, "Sugar had to wait because the other dogs needed immediate attention". I responded, "How would you know that Sugar did not need immediate attention, if you did not look at her." When I left, I heard the vet come to the door and tell the customers outside, "We are still open but I need to lock the door." I was very professional and I never threatened her. I believe I was discriminated against because I'm an African American Woman and my dog is a Rottweiler.Desired Settlement: I would like the veterinarian to be trained on treating all people and dogs equally.

Business

Response:

Re: Complaint ID #[redacted]To Whom It May Concern:We regret and apologize for any inconvenience or discrimination perceived by Ms. [redacted] during her visit to our hospital. I can assure you that was never our intent and we certainly would never discriminate against her or any client. We were able to speak with Ms. [redacted] on 8/11/15 and explained our general procedure for moving patients and their owners into an exam room to minimize the number of pets in the waiting area. This is done to reduce stress and anxiety which is inherent in a visit to the veterinarian.Emergencies at our animal hospital are not unlike that experienced on the human side and we too prioritize patients based on their condition. Ms. [redacted]’s pet was triaged and determined to be stable, so more critical cases were seen that unfortunately extended her wait time. We are sorry if we failed to communicate that clearly. We absolutely would have taken her pet, or any pet, over others that were waiting if it were deemed critical.We also explained that we lock our door every night at the same time for the safety of our employees and clients, and clients are given access through our intercom and security system. We announce to clients that the door is being locked for those that need to leave and return into our building. This occurred at the same time that Ms. [redacted] was leaving.I believe my conversation with Ms. [redacted] was amicable and productive and believe we addressed her concerns, if not, I am certainly happy to speak with her further.Sincerely,Heather P[redacted] Hospital Manager