YOGI PAYS A VISIT Christmas is a time for meeting up with friends both old and new. Earlier in the year, several members of Willows had enjoyed a visit to the recently constructed Guide Dog National Breeding Centre in Bishops Tachbrook, Warwickshire. It was lovely to meet the team and see the fantastic new premises, and Debbie Lynch, our Nurse Manager, was keen to return the favour and invite everyone back to visit Willows. So the week before Christmas, several members of the NBC team arrived for an evening tour and a few festive snacks. Accompanying them was one of their stud dogs, Yogi – a black Labrador, who at 5 years old was already ‘Dad’ to 10 litters. As the VID of the visit (Very Important Dog!), he was an absolute star, who enjoyed all the attention and behaved impeccably at all times (including when everyone else was tucking in to their refreshments). The visitors were extremely impressed with all the facilities at the practice and enjoyed learning about the multi-disciplinary services available for the dogs and cats who are referred to our wide range of specialists on site. Something that really caught their eye was the bespoke communication system, consisting of several large electronic messaging boards situated all around the practice. These allow veterinary surgeons to immediately see important telephone messages from both referring vets and clients, no matter where they are situated in the building. This means they can respond extremely quickly, possibly between consultations or even as they leave theatre on completion of a surgical procedure, rather than waiting until they return to their desk. Like Willows, the National Breeding Centre is an extremely large site, with key staff being required to work in several areas during the day, so this facility was of great interest to them, as you can see in the photo. Yogi on the other hand was far more interested in what was behind the door marked ‘CAT WARD’, one of the few areas, including theatres and isolation, that were ‘off limits’ to him as our special guest! A Christmas visit isnt complete without a gift, and Yogi’s trip was no exception. As you can see in the photo with his owner Suzanne, he was extremely pleased with his festive present of doggie treats given to him by Debbie. However, everyone agreed that the real ‘Cracker’ on this occasion was the very handsome Yogi! If you would like to know more about the work of the GDBA Breeding Centre, or indeed find out when they are running tours of their fantastic facilities, please visit their website at guidedogs.org.uk/aboutus/national-breeding-centre/ And if you would like to see behind the scenes here at Willows, you can book a tour online at willows.uk.net/tour. Alternatively, please ask at reception or give us a call on 0121 712 7070 and we would love to show you how we look after all our VIPs (Very Important Patients!). Pictures: 1. Suzanne Boggan (Yogi’s owner) and Yogi being welcomed by Amber Barrett 2. Suzanne with Yogi and Debbie 3. A member of the Guide Dog team with VID Yogi outside the Cat Ward 4. Some of the team looking at the messaging screens. willows.uk.net/news/m/news/view/423
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 15:00:01 +0000