Dear Editor:
There's nothing like the disappearance of a favourite place/landmark to bring you up to speed with the nature of change and the phenomenon of aging. With some things, you can't imagine them not being there.
Capilano Pet Hospital — where, since we first moved to the North Shore 50 years ago, our cats and dogs have received the best in veterinary care, at all times of the day and night/days of the week — is one such place. Capilano Pet Hospital is where the legendary Dr. Earnshaw "the Cat Whisperer" got his start, and Dr. Bratty perfected the sutureless spay.
A motherlode of early memories is tied up with this bedrock North Shore institution. Seeing it go is very much like losing an old friend.
I'll always remember riding the Queens bus and looking for Dylan in the window, or having to make an emergency dash late on a Sunday. The staff was unfailingly conscientious. In 50 years as a client, I don't think I ever received a bum steer.
One of the earliest memories I have of the hospital involves a vicarious encounter with grief. Late in the afternoon, in the middle of a routine visit for one of our cats, I watched while an obviously distraught vet tried to explain to a grieving couple why their cat had to be put down. Grief in loss, and learning to live with it; such are the trials and tribulations of pet ownership.
Goodbye to all the hospital staff.
And thank you for being there.
Hugh Nevin
North Vancouver
