Ceremony brings clients together

Creating unity among clients who have lost beloved pets helps solidify their bond to your practice—and shows great empathy. The team at the Animal Hospital of Waynesville, in Waynesville, N.C., sent out 105 invitations to a bereavement ceremony over the holidays and 42 clients attended.

The tree at the bereavement ceremony held special memories and cards (right) created by kennel technician Janice Swanger.

One of the hospital's team members made each client a dog or cat card that was then mailed to them. Clients tucked pictures or notes into the cards and brought them to the ceremony where the cards were hung on a tree.

At the ceremony, each doctor read a special poem or story and team members gave everyone a little bell attached to a ribbon for them to ring when their pet's name was called. Clients could also tell a special story about their pet, or talk about how their loss had affected them. After the ceremony, clients were encouraged to mingle and linger as long as they needed.

Christy White McLean, practice manager, says the word around town about the ceremony is far superior to any marketing they could've done. "Our team members and clients were all glad to be a part of this, and it truly helped some of our clients gain closure," she says.