Friendship is a tip-top operation -- almost. Its fairly new building near the Tenleytown metro station is sleek, clean and modern. It's organized. An online service reminds you when your pet needs to come in for a check up or vaccinations. And there is a mail newsletter and a sophisticated website as well. My only beef with Friendship is that not all of the staff are well-versed enough in bedside manner. When my last cat was dying (unbeknownst to me), I spent an awful week taking her back and forth to Friendship. One vet barely spoke to me and offered vague answers to my questions. Another told me my cat was going to be OK, yet didn't seem to be familiar with her history. Finally, on a day when she was clearly deteriorating, I raced her to Friendship - again. Fortunately, the vet on duty was very kind and told me the truth -- that she had a few hours to live. She helped me through the whole painful process and, when my cat did pass away on her own about an hour later, let me take as much time as I needed to be with her. When I got a new kitten sometime later, I was lucky enough to have another kind and smart vet for her first checkup. My advice....do patronize Friendship, but find a vet that you like and stick with that one. Ask for that one in particular when you make appointments. Otherwise, you may wind up with some smart yet insensitive twit who is better suited to laboratory work.
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