The decision to put down beloved pets who are suffering is hard enough without having to remove your fuzzy buddies from their home to spend their last moments traumatized on an examining table. When the time comes for Fang or Fido to pass on, Aussie's compassionate all-female medical staff makes house calls. They are equally compassionate when dealing with less dire crises or with routine checkups. Personnel have been known to stay up all night with injured animals. They open up the office on vacation days for clients who've run out of dog food. This past year one staffer answered the after-hours phone in the middle of running the Toyota Half Marathon, and had the problem solved before crossing the finish line. And in addition to usual services, they can provide at-home pet sitting for concerned vacationers as well as homeopathic treatments or acupuncture if Fido has arthritis or needs to lose a few pounds. What if Fido is a turtle? No prob. Along with dogs and cats, Aussie handles exotics, including "hamsters, ferrets, even the odd wallaby," according to manager Cathy Schliefret. "We're totally client service-oriented." And they truly care.