Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital

To Our Beloved Pets:

Dear Dr. Warren and the wonderful staff at Met Vet Hospital,

We are writing to thank you for your incredible kindness and care with our beloved Springer, Duncan, who crossed the bridge in late April. Over the past couple years you helped provided him with the best possible life and your skill, intuition and your concern along with your gentle and genuine approach to veterinary care makes routine care a pleasure and those incredibly difficult life decisions a little less painful. As with our Molly, and now Duncan....we are so greatful to each of you for your compassion and for being "real" with us when that time came. Bless you all.
Therese & Tony Ortega

Dear Dr. Warren,

Thank you for the wonderful care that you and all your staff gave Oliver in the few days he was with you. I appreciate all your efforts. Thanks for taking the extra time to talk to me when his health started deteriorating. Thanks for your honesty and for making sure he was comfortable. I appreciated your card and the special donation in his honor. That special gesture meant a lot. The pin enclosed is something to remind you of Oliver. He was such a special cat! Thanks again for all your effort! Best Wishes, Kim Williams

Linky

For Abraham Lincoln Schultz, June 2001 - February 5, 2009

Thank you for your kindness and your attention during Lincoln's illness and passing. You took such good care of him (and me) when he was at the clinic -- and I still insist it was made better for him by his undying love for "Dr. Natalie." I don't know that I've ever told you that a big part of the reason I chose Metropolitan Vets was because of the story of Dan-the-Cat and the Dandelion fund; your story touched me deeply and I knew that you all care for animals beyond a simple patient relationship. I knew that when it was time for my kitties to move on to their next adventure, I'd have the kindness and support that is obviously part of your mission. I was just hoping it wouldn't be so soon for my beloved block-headed little guy. I am glad he chose to depart on that adventure from the quiet of his own home and bed -- it gave me and his sister Betsey the chance to say goodbye, to arrange to meet him someday, and to warn him about PetuniaDog who is the Great Cat Huntress of the sky. (It's okay, though, because he'll also get to meet BetteFinch and at the end of every day they will all share their kibble and drink from the goldfish bowl.) Thanks so much for everything, and I look forward to many many many more years of torturing - I mean, visiting - you with Miss Betsey.

Shirl

Sparky (who will be missed dearly) 1/1/91 to 1/1/09

When my dear old Sparky decided that New Year’s Eve was his time to go, Dr. Warren didn’t hesitate for a second to come to my home and help us both through the process. That came as no surprise. I know where her heart is.

It was important to me that when it was time, he not be in an unfamiliar place with well-meaning strangers. Sparky could not have had a better release from his long-term gradual decline, and I am so grateful to Dr. Warren not only for caring for him during his lifetime, but for helping to make that evening a sweet and comforting memory. He was surrounded by love.

I miss him dearly, but will always be grateful that he told me when it was time, and that Dr. Warren cares as deeply as I know she does. We are so fortunate to have her in our lives. ~Sue

In Loving Memory of Molly 6/25/95 - 12/11/08

Dr. Warren and Staff,

Thank you so much for taking the best care of our furry family members and especially for the genuine interest, concern and health care for our Molly. It is because of your progressive and insightful practice that we were able to love her for an additional wonderful year. We really appreciate the research and extra effort your made to keep her comfortable and in the best health she could have - she had many challenges and you guys provided the medical guidance and ultimately the compassion we needed. Thank you, The Ortegas

Rest in Peace sweet Winnie 8/16/93 - 9/3/08

I just wanted to tell you how much we appreciate your kindness toward Winnie and us when the time came for our "girl" to leave us. We are glad she was able to be in such a loving and safe environment. I wanted to share with you her grave site, located among the ferns and bear grass outside my window. Her sister, Red, likes that she is still near us, too. Thank you for everything. ~ Jerry and Ida

* * *

On behalf of Sara and Guppy - this poem is dedicated to Mittens the cat

Cat Poem

They will not go quietly,
the cats who've shared our lives.
In subtle ways they let us know
their spirit still survives.

Old habits still make us think
we hear a meow at the door.
Or step back when we drop
a tasty morsel on the floor.

Our feet still go around the place
the food dish used to be,
And, sometimes, coming home at night,
we miss them terribly.

And although time may bring new friends
and a new food dish to fill,
That one place in our hearts
belongs to them. . . and always will.

- Linda Barnes

* *

A poem for Mihn – you are missed. 8/30/2006

The House Dog's Grave (Haig, an English bulldog)

I've changed my ways a little; I cannot now
Run with you in the evenings along the shore,
Except in a kind of dream; and you, if you dream a moment,
You see me there.

So leave awhile the paw-marks on the front door
Where I used to scratch to go out or in,
And you'd soon open; leave on the kitchen floor
The marks of my drinking-pan.

I cannot lie by your fire as I used to do
On the warm stone,
Nor at the foot of your bed; no, all the night through
I lie alone.

But your kind thought has laid me less than six feet
Outside your window where firelight so often plays,
And where you sit to read--and I fear often grieving for me--
Every night your lamplight lies on my place.

You, man and woman, live so long, it is hard
To think of you ever dying
A little dog would get tired, living so long.
I hope than when you are lying

Under the ground like me your lives will appear
As good and joyful as mine.
No, dear, that's too much hope: you are not so well cared for
As I have been.

And never have known the passionate undivided
Fidelities that I knew.
Your minds are perhaps too active, too many-sided. . . .
But to me you were true.

You were never masters, but friends. I was your friend.
I loved you well, and was loved. Deep love endures
To the end and far past the end. If this is my end,
I am not lonely. I am not afraid. I am still yours.

Robinson Jeffers, 1941

The Jeffrey Story:

Baja Animal Sanctuary in Mexico is a non-profit no-kill shelter that houses as many as 300 dogs and 75 cats at times. Animals are only euthanized if they dying or in terrible pain. If a dog or cat is not adoptable they remain at the shelter to live out their lives among friends with food, shelter, and love.

Each day, Mexican authorities in Tijuana pick up approximately 150 stray dogs. Each dog is given three days to be claimed or adopted before being electrocuted in a chain link cage. There is no peaceful euthanasia in the TJ pound. Baja is authorized to enter the pound one day each week and remove three dogs for the shelter, hopefully to be adopted into loving families. The Jeffrey is one of those dogs pulled from chain cage the day before he was scheduled to die (who wouldn't adopt a dog with that story?!).

The Jeffrey was brought across the US/Mexico border into San Diego in August of 2001 with several other animals for an adoption day at a local pet store. That adoption day happened to be August 11th, the day after my 25th birthday, which I had not been terribly excited about. As Justin and I drove from his bachelor apartment in San Clemente to mine in San Diego for the weekend, we stopped to run in for cat food and left with The Jeffrey--my best birthday gift ever. Never mind the fact that neither my apartment, nor Justin's allowed dogs, or that I worked full-time and went to school in the evenings more than an hour from home, or that we lived well over an hour drive apart. It wasn't the most rational of decisions. But he had giant, stand-up bat-wing ears! And puppy breath! And a round puppy tummy! And he made little whimpering noises as I held him (sigh). The Baja volunteers promised us that he wouldn't even grow to more than 30 or 35 lbs (I often wonder if they laughed as we walked away).

But it all worked out. With some quick thinking and a little bending of the truth, we managed to talk my apartment manager into allowing us to keep the tiny puppy while we looked for another place to live. Soon we moved into our very own pet-friendly house and Justin's dog Matchbox, who had been staying with family, joined us.

The Jeffrey did not stop growing at 30 lbs. Or even 40 lbs. His last weigh-in was just over 80 lbs. (and he's a bit fat, ahem). There is a serious gas problem--it doesn't just fill the room, it sucks the air from the room. Due to lack of socialization during that critical window of puppy-hood, The Jeffrey has aggression problems in certain instances, despite our diligence in taking him absolutely everywhere and exposing him to everything. Now he has bladder stones and requires a prescription diet and monitoring. But he has finally beaten the mange that plagued him for several years, and I've never seen a dog that relaxes as much as this one, which makes him a terrible bed hog. And that's why we love him.

Thanks again for taking such great care of him during his "stones" episode. This vet experience has been the best he has ever had, very low stress and no growling, which is HUGE for The Jeffrey. I know his health is in the very best hands.
-Naomi Carleton

Our heartache over the loss of D.G. is so sad. Thank you for gently helping us make our decision to let her go before we had to witness her suffering. We will miss her. Thanks for your caring.

Art and Sherry Clark

The Dandelion Fund

Dan-the-Cat and Dr. Warren met in Northern California the year she graduated college. Dan’s first job was keeping mice away from a country store called Dandelion. When the store closed, Dandelion Dan moved in with Natalie. She worked in the same outdoor mall, and they had come to know one another while bird watching during their lunch breaks. These kindred spirits quickly developed a magnificent bond. A couple of years later, for no apparent reason, they moved to Colorado in a rented Ford van loaded with their stuff.

After meandering in Denver for a bit, they determined veterinary school to be their calling. Dan studied diligently with Natalie. Sometimes he kept the text book pages warm and protected while she tried to read them, but most often he rapidly flipped through the pages himself, since her reading pace clearly lagged behind his. To relax, they gardened together and spent time with the horse they kept on their property.

Dan and his girl moved many times over their 10 years together – the typical lifestyle of a perpetual student and her trusted companion.

“Home is where Dan-the-Cat is,” Natalie used to say.

But, when vet school was coming to an end, and Dr. Natalie was entering a new phase of life, Dan’s work was done. During the winter of senior year, Dan started having seizures. After an extensive workup (including a “CAT scan”), an inoperable brain tumor was diagnosed. Dan-the-Cat was put to sleep shortly thereafter. Two weeks later, when Natalie drew up the courage to pay her bill at the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, she shed a new set of tears. Dr. Steve Withrow, Oncology Department Head, had paid the entire bill from his reserve fund. It was then that Dr. Warren resolved to forever work to pay back the gift that had been given in respect to her love of Dan-the-Cat.

And so, the Dandelion Fund was created.

For every patient’s life that comes to a close, Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital contributes to the Fund. The hospital also shares a portion of its annual profit with the Fund. When the Met Vet staff recognizes true crisis in one of its client-patient relationships, they have the opportunity to contribute a portion of the Dandelion Fund to help ease the financial burden.

Please contribute, when you are able, and know that you, too, are paying respect to the Human-Animal Bond and all of the Dan-the-Cats of our community.

Dedications