One Year Anniversary of New Ownership at Redwood Animal Hospital

It’s hard to believe but it has already been one year since I took ownership of the well-known Castro Valley Redwood Animal Hospital. To celebrate this milestone, instead of writing about our beloved four-legged companions and how to keep them safe, this month’s topic will be more personal: a retrospective on the past year as a business owner, a working mother, and being new to the community of Castro Valley.

Until a year ago my life was pretty easy.  My daily routine consisted of the usual family events: dropping off/picking up the kid(s) at daycare, going to work, making lunch/dinner, putting kid(s) to bed, going to bed, and repeating day after day. To make life even easier, my work place was only two miles from my home so I could come home at lunch.

This routine changed drastically on September 1st 2011 when I became the new owner of Redwood Animal Hospital. Instead of my two-mile commute, I was now driving over 20 miles one-way. Going home for lunch, letting the dogs out, and putting my feet up for a few minutes was no longer an option (keep in mind that I was 8 months pregnant at that time).

I had prepared myself for this. I had prepared myself for a lot of the changes that were going to take place. I had spoken with multiple business owners, colleagues, family, and friends.  I was ready for those changes. After all, my dream was coming true: I was my own boss, could set my own hours, and could fix my own problems.

While my newborn baby girl was sleeping in my office or being babysat by my wonderful staff, I was ready for this exciting adventure and greeting our clients.

Like many new business owners, I had to overcome unfair competition, false rumors, negative advertising, but also as a new resident to Castro Valley I had to earn the trust of the community and fight the resistance to change.

Very early on, I was very fortunate to meet some exceptional people and given a warm welcome by several neighboring veterinary hospitals, local business owners, and residents of Castro Valley who had been clients of Redwood Animal Hospital for years.

It took several months of patience and persistence as well as the heart and encouragement of RAH loyal clients and patients to keep us going and we did. Everyone: staff, doctors, and clients became involved with RAH and this is how our first year ended as a success.

The old phrase “This is not how it was before” is now heard as a compliment to the various improvements and changes we have implemented.

To celebrate our One Year Anniversary and continue to help the Castro Valley Community, Redwood Animal Hospital will be hosting their first .  

On Wednesday September 19th from 12-4pm:  Redwood Animal Hospital will provide free examinations and rabies vaccinations for dogs and cats whose parents are in financial need. It is a first come first serve event.