09/23/2026
You know what I wish there was? I wish there was a place where small businesses could rate and review their experiences with clients or people, the same way the public can do that to us.
I am so heartsick seeing fellow businesses, trainers, groomers, veterinarians, boarding, daycares, shelters, breeders etc etc etc dragged through the mud simply because they couldn't adhere or do EXACTLY what that person wanted at THAT exact moment. They couldn’t work a miracle, change an outcome or drop everything immediately. This isn't just in this profession either, it's everywhere.
I'm not talking about egregious negligent mistakes or behavior that warrant reviews to warn others. But honestly, even then, TALK TO THE OWNER. Then if a bad experience occurs and despite reaching out to the owner and the business itself nothing is resolved, refunded or explained, that I understand. I'm talking about misplaced anger, judgement and entitlement being masked as a "review" when really it's just a way to do damage and mar a human being doing their best.
There's SO many places for it. Social media, Town pages, business pages, yelp, Nextdoor, google etc etc. It's absolutely awful. And believe me when I tell you that the constant fear of it takes it toll significantly on us small business owners, especially when we care SO much about what we do.
We can't publicly review clients for screaming at us in the lobby when they got lost on their way and are late, or calling 12 times in a row at 9pm on a Sunday. Or canceling last minute and causing us to lose time but then becoming irate when we stick to our policies. Being yelled at for our prices, our hours that don't work for them, our unavailability at times that are inconvenient to them. We bend and bend and bend to make them happy, and keep the business going with integrity and kindness, but - when do we get a break?
Veterinarians get the worst end of this honestly, especially lately, and I have no tolerance for it. I work with vets daily and they have one of the hardest jobs in the world with the LEAST amount of empathy and understanding. They have to figure out and know multiple species diagnosis and treatment options while balancing the often emotional client while also trying to keep staff happy, etc etc etc. They do not get nearly enough credit for what they do. I have the utmost respect and admiration for their work.
There are bad apples in EVERY profession. I'm not denying that. And human beings will make mistakes, or not see eye to eye sometimes. But before you rush out and try to damage a small business or a person online, ask yourself what may be written about you if they could review you back? If your livelihood and home and mental wellbeing relied on that. As a person myself I've had plenty of negative experiences, but I choose to simply not recommend something and instead offer an alternative before choosing to slander or cut someone down.
I don't know what happens when we die. I just know that for what I know, we only get ONE life here. Why spend it angry and mean? There's enough of that everywhere. Stress and loss and negativity are part of life and beyond our control, but what IS in our control is how we treat one another, even when we disagree.
Be nice.
