09/28/2026
My staff doesn't know this yet, but this week is theirs.
Every year, I celebrate Veterinary Staff Appreciation Week in a fairly ridiculous fashion. I feed them too much, buy them things, make them do things they probably wouldn't voluntarily agree to, and spend an entire week trying to communicate something that's actually very difficult to put into words:
Rocket City Veterinary Services would not exist without these people.
We often talk about veterinarians and veterinary technicians, but a veterinary hospital doesn't function because of one title. It takes receptionists, assistants, technicians, kennel staff, managers, doctors and all the people working behind the scenes.
There are 38 people who make up RCVS right now.
Thirty-eight people who answer your calls. Hold your scared pets. Clean up messes. Monitor anesthesia. Fill prescriptions. Return messages. Work through lunch. Stay late. Celebrate good news with you. Cry with you when the news isn't good. And come back the next morning to do it again.
I can buy equipment. I can build hospitals. I can create protocols and run advertisements.
I cannot manufacture people who care.
And I have people who care.
So once a year, I stop everything I can possibly stop and make sure they know that I see them.
This year we're celebrating a little earlier than usual, which means I've somehow managed to keep it a secret from most of them. 😏
Starting Monday, they're getting spoiled.
And on Wednesday, September 30, all RCVS locations will close at 12 PM so that, for one afternoon, nobody has to answer a phone, watch a clock, take an appointment or worry about what's happening at the hospital.
They just get to be together.
To our clients: thank you for giving us the grace to do this. I know closing early isn't always convenient. But these are the people you trust with your family, and I believe taking care of them is part of taking care of you.
Warmly,
Rene' Holt, DVM
