Editor, The Herald:

Last week my son and I had to make the very difficult decision to put down our beloved Westhighland Terrier, George. Over the course of 8 weeks, he went from a healthy, vibrant, six-year old dog to a dog too weak to walk. His symptoms were baffling and his ailments were many. Throughout this process the doctors and staff at Ridge Animal Hospital worked tirelessly to ease his symptoms and diagnose the cause of the illness. They treated George with tender care as they examined him and ran a series of tests. As health emergencies arose, we were worked into the doctors' busy schedules at the last minute, Dr. Miller came in late on a Saturday afternoon to meet us, and Dr. French and his staff stayed at the clinic late for us on a Friday night.

As any pet-lover knows, watching a furry family member suffer is painful and stressful. The doctors and staff at Ridge Animal hospital understand that and go out of their way to treat the animal and simultaneously offer compassion and support to the pet's family. When it came time to put George out of his suffering. my son and I knew that doctors had done all they could and we trusted that we were making the right decision.

We are fortunate here in Farmville to have the skilled, caring, sensitive, and compassionate staff members and doctors at Ridge Animal Hospital.

Lee and Samuel Bidwell

Farmville