Hospice Care for Pets: Interview with Dr. Robin Elms

Saturday afternoon, I interviewed Dr. Robin Elms, a veterinarian transplanted from New Jersey to the wilds of Camden, Maine. An amazing woman, and an hour-and-a-half well-spent! She and her sons Lars and Cody now inhabit a two-story "upside-down" house (kitchen and living room on the top level, bedrooms on the bottom) on a dead-end road close to downtown Camden. They share their home with an aging iguana, two boxers, and two pampered pussycats - one of which is a senior, while the other is a much-loved tripod. All of the animals are rescues Dr. Elms has taken in over the years.


Elms is in the process of setting up a practice that specializes in end-of-life hospice care and in-home euthanasia for terminally ill or senior pets. It was genuinely enlightening speaking with Elms on the subject of end-of-life care - something none of us really want to think about, but that unfortunately most of us will face at one time or another. Everyone gets old - even our beloved pets.

While we talked, Elms sons milled around the kitchen, adding to the conversation, making their lunches, and generally adding a more grounded feel to the afternoon. At one point, Elms was discussing how deeply some of her clinets have been impacted by their pets' deaths - one of them going so far as to have a coffin custom-made for the animal. I was moved by the conversation and saddened by memories of the pups I have lost over the years, but was happily brought back to Earth by Lars, who interjected skeptically with, "I'm sorry, but that's just creepy." It broke the tension and the house was soon filled with laughter. Both boys are definitely animal lovers, but it's good to have that reliably cynical teenage-boy voice to remind you of the real world when things start to feel a little too dire.

This month's feature story for Downeast Dog is on in-home, end-of-life care for pets, and will covera wide array of topics on the subject of extending a pet's life - and how (and when) to let go when that sad time has come. Look for the story in the October issue of Downeast Dog News.

Interview with Ted Pidcock of Teddy the Dog Apparel

I got an e-mail recently from Sarah Rondeau of Teddy the Dog apparel. I'd never actually heard of Teddy the Dog, and I didn't know Rondeau, but the e-mail asked if I would consider doing a review of their clothing line if they sent me a free t-shirt of my choice. Since I'm a shameless fan of Free Stuff, I agreed with little to no resistance, though I did request the opportunity to actually speak with someone from the company to find out if there might be the possibility of a bigger story in there, rather than just a simple review.

The result was an interview in July with Ted Pidcock, founder of Teddy the Dog. Pidcock is a well-spoken, amiable fellow with a long history of working with some of the best clothing manufacturers in the country, including Tommy Bahama, Ecko, and Wrangler. With Teddy the Dog, Pidcock has combined his team's manufacturing and marketing expertise to create a fashionable yet comfortable clothing line featuring the iconic, non-breed-specific Teddy the Dog. T-shirt slogans are cute-with-an-edge, targeted toward individuals who, Pidcock says, "know how to laugh at themselves, have a good time, and be their own dog." Slogans like "Dirty dogs have more fun," "Friends don't let friends fetch," and "Cats don't know sit," all feature Teddy behaving in a most un-Lassie-like way, as he embraces the very American pursuits of life, liberty, and the ability to do your own thing, regardless of your species.

Since May, Pidcock and the Teddy the Dog team have been doing a large-scale marketing push to increase brand recognition. Facebook fans have skyrocketed from "two or three hundred" in May, to twenty-five hundred a month and a half later. Now, in mid-August, that number has increased to nearly four thousand. Pidcock tells a story of going to a trade show where a die-hard Teddy the Dog fan had been pitching t-shirt ideas for some time when he suggested "Cats don't know sit." "I thought it was a little edgy at first, but we gave it a try - it turns out, it's been one of our most popular shirts so far," Pidcock said. "But that's just the way it is with Teddy - there's just something about him that people really like, he captures the imagination."

Over the summer, Pidcock et al hosted a contest when Teddy went "missing," awarding a $200 shopping spree for the most original essay speculating about Teddy's whereabouts and activities during his absence. According to Pidcock, the entries were flying in up until the final hour, when the grand prize was awarded to Jenny Carranza for her tales of Teddy living the good life south of the border. There's really no telling what Teddy will be up to next, but, according to Pidcock, "He's a dog who knows how to have fun, so that's what he'll keep doing." And, no doubt, the clothing inspired by the dog who can't be tamed will keep tickling us all with its wit and wisdom, as inspired by Teddy the Dog.