Private equity firms are the single most dangerous organizations in the country. They are buying up every type of single owner services available for sale and doing exactly what happened here. These small businesses are the backbone of our economy and provide decent livings for their owners and employees. Plumbers, electricians, physical therapists, vets. Small hotels. Pretty soon no competition and the communities lose. If this continues there will be no place for small entrepreneurs in our economy. Everyone will be an employee of some rapacious, stingy corporation, and will be living from inadequate paycheck to inadequate paycheck.
This is a sad and important warning. While the focus of the article is on corporate ownership, underneath it is the story of what happens to an economy that concentrated all its wealth in the top 1%. We have been captured by the illusion of trickle down economics and are now being tied down by the whims and impulses of mega billionaires. Frequently we think of these folks as the tech elite—Musk, Bezons, Zuckerberg—but it goes far beyond that. It is the nameless corporation US Storage that bought out Sebastopol’s Southpoint storage, it is the reckless consolidation of the drug store industry, it is the handful of companies that decided what most of us eat. Thank you for the advice Dr. Henriksen. It applies to vets and so many others.
This is a very sad story, and a clear case of neglect, on someone’s part. However, I’m going to push back, a bit, gently. We have always had pets, and been fortunate that we could afford to give them good medical care , but the last two pet emergencies in our family forced us to use VCA (in Santa Rosa) because our long-time local vet suddenly just stopped responding - made appointments and didn’t keep them, didn’t return calls, and generally wasn’t there for us. Although it was definitely pricey at VCA, we did feel that we got very responsive, compassionate care from them, and I would recommend them any time. Emergencies always seem to happen on weekends and holidays, and sometimes one has no choice.
Brilliant article, Dr. Pete. Please try to get this out to the bigger world. There are far more pets belonging to people without the money to do proper veterinary care than there are resources to help them. The 'community' pet clinics and pro bono vet services are a spit in the ocean compared with all the dogs and cats who need expensive medical care. In our area, a dental is usually well over $1500, a spay/neuter over $1000. I completely agree with Dr. Pete that VCA, with its hard drive to the bottom line for its shareholders, is a big part...and the criminal part... of the problem. As Joseph McI says, the income disparity in the country is another big contributor to the inability of most Americans to take care of their pets. Just take a look at NextDoor and the number of people dumping their cats and dogs. Look at every single rescue org and shelter in the country, overwhelmed by the animals being abandoned in ever greater numbers. And, still, breeders continue to breed 'popular' dogs because they can dump all the 'surplus' (at no cost to themselves), leaving taxpayers and rescue to deal with these animals. How do we even begin to solve these horrible problems where innocent animals are the victims?
Private equity firms are the single most dangerous organizations in the country. They are buying up every type of single owner services available for sale and doing exactly what happened here. These small businesses are the backbone of our economy and provide decent livings for their owners and employees. Plumbers, electricians, physical therapists, vets. Small hotels. Pretty soon no competition and the communities lose. If this continues there will be no place for small entrepreneurs in our economy. Everyone will be an employee of some rapacious, stingy corporation, and will be living from inadequate paycheck to inadequate paycheck.
This is a sad and important warning. While the focus of the article is on corporate ownership, underneath it is the story of what happens to an economy that concentrated all its wealth in the top 1%. We have been captured by the illusion of trickle down economics and are now being tied down by the whims and impulses of mega billionaires. Frequently we think of these folks as the tech elite—Musk, Bezons, Zuckerberg—but it goes far beyond that. It is the nameless corporation US Storage that bought out Sebastopol’s Southpoint storage, it is the reckless consolidation of the drug store industry, it is the handful of companies that decided what most of us eat. Thank you for the advice Dr. Henriksen. It applies to vets and so many others.
Benedetti Tire store is now in the hands of private equity. I always trusted them. But no now.
This is a very sad story, and a clear case of neglect, on someone’s part. However, I’m going to push back, a bit, gently. We have always had pets, and been fortunate that we could afford to give them good medical care , but the last two pet emergencies in our family forced us to use VCA (in Santa Rosa) because our long-time local vet suddenly just stopped responding - made appointments and didn’t keep them, didn’t return calls, and generally wasn’t there for us. Although it was definitely pricey at VCA, we did feel that we got very responsive, compassionate care from them, and I would recommend them any time. Emergencies always seem to happen on weekends and holidays, and sometimes one has no choice.
Brilliant article, Dr. Pete. Please try to get this out to the bigger world. There are far more pets belonging to people without the money to do proper veterinary care than there are resources to help them. The 'community' pet clinics and pro bono vet services are a spit in the ocean compared with all the dogs and cats who need expensive medical care. In our area, a dental is usually well over $1500, a spay/neuter over $1000. I completely agree with Dr. Pete that VCA, with its hard drive to the bottom line for its shareholders, is a big part...and the criminal part... of the problem. As Joseph McI says, the income disparity in the country is another big contributor to the inability of most Americans to take care of their pets. Just take a look at NextDoor and the number of people dumping their cats and dogs. Look at every single rescue org and shelter in the country, overwhelmed by the animals being abandoned in ever greater numbers. And, still, breeders continue to breed 'popular' dogs because they can dump all the 'surplus' (at no cost to themselves), leaving taxpayers and rescue to deal with these animals. How do we even begin to solve these horrible problems where innocent animals are the victims?
There are vets that look after homeless people's animals. I bet they could have helped out also. Too bad she went to the kind vet too late.
Gosh, too many facets in this depressing reality, but it encompasses that we citizens are monetized in all acts of life.
https://youtu.be/J_swGiAHhbQ