researching vets.. how do I find the right vet?

When I moved to WI I went and interviewed each vet. I made appointments for a basic checkup on two Shepherds (then Neke and Riggs). I wanted to see how the staff reacted to Shepherds.

I had one vet that was almost too afraid to touch them and another than insisted they be muzzled before he would examine them. Next!

Then I talked about my beliefs on vaccinations. That knocked out another couple vets.

And when I mentioned the raw diet I had it narrowed down to two vets. One is holistic and great but had to get into and expensive.

The other is very open minded, won't do what I tell them I don't want, trusts me to know my dogs, is AWESOME to scared dogs (great for fosters first visits) and has an emergency beeper number that I've used a couple times. One time, when Tazer ate my blood thinners and anti-depressants, he talked me through everything on the phone and didn't even charge me!

Lauri, I did the same thing. Well I didn't interview, but that would had been wise in the beginning. I just watched how everyone interacted with Shane.

The first vet, the nurse was trying to take him to the back, to get his weight. Shane is only 6 months old, she grab the lease from me, then started to TUG on Shane to make him move (I was using the pincher collar at the time to help him with the lease), I told her stop tugging she hurting him, apparently it went in one ear and out the other, she still dragging him, and his is whimpering, so I grab the lease from her and told her, I am going back there with him. Then instead of letting me LEAD Shane on the scales, she had to SHOVE him on from behind. After that, I just left. No reason to be so rough with ANY 6 month old puppy.

Next guy, I went to, was a neighborhood vet. Everyone loved him, but me. We are only one in the neighbor that has a GS, so he didn't see to happy with it. He grab Shane in a HEADLOCK, and gave him a very rough exam and the whole time telling me "He has to show him who is boss now, so he doesn't get aggressive with me.' WTH, this is not your dog, you are not his boss!

I did web search, found a vet few miles down my street who was A LOT cheaper. Brought Shane in for an exam and I needed his shots updated. The staff was abosutely wonderful. The moment Shane walked, they were calm and friendly and treated Shane like he was a yellow lab. The nurses just loved him. The vet then came in, and first thing he did was sit on the floor with Shane. He was talking to us, while playing and petting Shane. I never seen Shane so happy to be at the vet's office! I knew I finally found the place. What is also great,the office staff is very accommodating to Shane's dog aggression! Never once they told me I had to muzzle my dog, they just allow me to bring him in late at night, when no other dogs are around!