Famous Last Words: The Steinbach CRM Checklist

Peggy and I moved to Philadelphia in December 1992 and were expected in New York for Christmas. We had two dogs—Sam, a honey-colored border collie, and Toby, an adorable live stuffed animal of indeterminate breed, but very possibly part bat-eared fox. Every kennel in town was full. Someone suggested the Steinbach Veterinary Hospital in Blue Bell, a 25-mile hike down the traffic-choked Schuylkill Expressway. There was room at the inn, and that was the beginning of an 11-year love affair with Dr. Jonathan King’s truly great team of people.

For starters, unlike most vets, Steinbach is open at the customer’s convenience—7 days a week with hours starting at 7 a.m. This means you can pick up your pets on a Sunday after a weekend out of town—unheard of at many vets.

The pets loved the place. They were greeted by name when we came in the door and happily trotted back to the kennel where they had plenty of room and a run. The staff at Steinbach is friendly, upbeat, always helpful and incomparably polite. It is clear they love animals and animals love them.

Beloved Sam had heart problems. Steinbach did everything possible, but alas, they told us when it was time to put him down—unlike our former vet in Stamford, Conn., who allowed our beloved little black Ms. Dog to live to 19 … far too long.

Always Helpful—In Good Times and Bad
Reside in the city, and you get mice. On a visit to Steinbach with Toby, I asked if a cat might be available for adoption to (1) kill mice and (2) serve as a companion to Toby. We had to meet with the adoption lady, who scrutinized our lifestyle and us before presenting us with a large orange cat named Science Fiction who turned out to be a great mouser, companion to Toby and good friend to us.