In this issue we have a peek behind the scenes of our pet expert Tarek. Veterinarian by education, an adventurer and entrepreneur by heart. He's learnt to reinvent himself in order to adapt to new countries, cultures and whatever life throws his way. Here he shares his journey to Denmark and his upcoming changes in his business.
Photograph: Tarek Abu Sham
Text: Tarek Abu Sham
In 2017, I moved to Denmark with my spouse and our long-haired Persian cat, Marina. I fell head over heels with the country and culture, and I felt so lucky to be living in Copenhagen. Shortly after settling into our new Danish life of smørrebrød and hygge, we were invited to attend a close friend's wedding back in the U.S.; the problem was that we didn't have anyone to look after Marina. A delicate queen who hates to be moved around, especially after a big overseas transition, Marina was perfectly content to stay behind in Copenhagen. As I was researching pet care options in Copenhagen, surprisingly, there weren't many to choose from. I had to go with a cat shelter outside of Copenhagen based on a friend's recommendation. It was unsettling for me to leave our cat at a shelter. Despite it being immaculate with an adequate-sized cage, it wasn't the right fit for Marina. She - like many cats – are territorial, and when you take them out of their homes, it stresses them out. Cats are susceptible to stress.
Upon my return from the U.S., I wanted to take things into my own hands and figure out a stress-free fix for pet care when people travel. At the same time, I was asked by a few peers, who knew of my background as a veterinarian, if I could watch over their pets. I said yes in a heartbeat. The requests continued coming by word of mouth, and this is how The Pet-agrees came to life.
"I started this company because I knew what other worried pet parents felt like when they had to leave their pets behind, and as a veterinarian, I devoted myself to studying animals so i can better understand them and help them."
It has been a rewarding experience to continue working with animals and hear from satisfied pet parents in return. I started this company because I knew what other worried pet parents felt like when they had to leave their pets behind. And as a veterinarian, I devoted myself to studying animals so I can better understand them and help them.
With passing time, the company grew, as did the team, the responsibilities, and the challenges. One of our biggest challenges - and a shock - was when we received a cease and desist letter from a huge corporation asking us to shut down because our name was too close to theirs. With over a year of weighing our options and talking to lawyers, I have finally come to peace with the fact that our name will no longer be The Pet-agrees, despite all the positive feedback we received from our community.
Since we were going to push the restart button, we made sure to put some thought and effort into the new name to ensure that it wouldn't bring us another unwelcome legal bump. We also wanted a name that would be descriptive and self-explanatory, describing what we do in an easy and understandable way. So, we decided to rename the company to My Peterinarian. We thought this would be a great new name since our team comes with a background in veterinary education.
The change of the company name won't affect us or the type of services we offer. On the contrary, we are moving on and heading in the direction we have always aimed for. We still provide the same stress and fuss-free experience for our pet parent community.
We are still committed to our vision of creating a world where quality pet care is a priority, and to our mission of providing the best professional pet services out there.
So make sure to keep an eye on our website and social media platforms as we will keep you updated with all our new and exciting developments.