Public Statement April 8th, 2025
Ivy Pets does not tolerate racism, discrimination, or hate of any kind—period. Our business stands for respect, equality, and inclusion, both online and in person.
The simple truth is that the statements being communicated, written and circulated on social media surrounding an office visit a couple of weeks ago are not factually representative of what occurred. What our internal video shows is our front desk staff member buzzing the door open immediately when the client arrives at the hospital. She then motions to her to please not enter–for her safety and for the safety of her dog– because of the two dogs already in the waiting room (one known to be reactive). No one jumped up and locked the door when she arrived.
The video shows that she waited outside for approximately 90 seconds while the veterinarian and the staff member finished up with one of the clients with a dog at the front desk. The video shows the front desk staff member picking up one of the dogs and opening the door for the client as soon as she could at the approximate 90 second mark so that the client and her dog could enter the lobby safely. The video also shows the client returning to pick up her dog and discussing something with the staff member. The video has no audio.
Our CEO has been in contact numerous times with the affected client. We have communicated with her about our internal actions:
“…As mentioned previously, we have taken this matter seriously and appropriate action has been implemented internally. We are reinforcing our code of conduct and values through structured staff training led by a consultant with experience in client-facing healthcare environments. The program will cover areas including implicit bias, and inclusive communication, with customization for our practice culture and community.
We are also reviewing and strengthening our internal procedures to ensure that client concerns are escalated appropriately and handled with the care and respect they deserve. As I stated before I would have been more than happy to speak to you on the phone that day to help address your concerns. I have explained to the staff that moving forward should a customer have an urgent issue such as this, that needs to be escalated beyond the Practice Manager, I should be reached out to immediately.
As I mentioned during our call, it is our understanding that disclosing the employment or disciplinary status of any individual employee would violate both employee privacy protections and best practices, particularly here in New York.
As we move forward, I would be open to scheduling a conversation to discuss your thoughts around resolution in more detail. Please feel free to share a few days and times that may work for you, and I’ll do my best to accommodate.”
We are making this statement and releasing this information to stop the personal attacks, violent rhetoric, violent calls and threats of violence against our staff, most of whom were not there. Our staff members’ children are getting threatened. Our business was severely impacted by violent threats yesterday. Many of our clients and staff were threatened with violence and were asked to “step outside”. We had to have police intervention. This has gone beyond public speech and we ask you to keep your interactions with our business and staff respectful and civil.
Thank you for helping us keep social media honest, respectful, and accountable.