IN THE BEGINNING . . .

In September, 1998, Bec and I traveled to Colorado for a visit with her parents. As we prepared for the absence from our home in Allen, we searched for a pet sitter to care for Sparkle, our 5-year-old registered Dalmatian who was our indoor constant companion.

We had thought it would be a relatively simple matter to find a pet care service that would visit Sparkle two or three times a day in our home, but our search was fruitless. The Web (pretty much in its infancy), the area newspapers, nor the myriad phone calls to friends produced local pet sitting possibilities.

The solution? When we pulled out of our driveway to leave town, four friends and neighbors had keys to our home, Sparkle’s leash and a checkerboard schedule we hoped would be both understood and honored! I am happy to confirm the pet-care-plan was successful, but there was still consternation about having four keys scattered all over our end of town!

Much of our conversation en route to Denver revolved around the desperate need for pet care in Allen and the area for folks like us who want to get away occasionally – but still have the confidence their pets are adequately cared for and loved. You saw this coming . . . One of us said to the other, “Why don’t we open a pet care business?” Voilà! A new Texas business was born somewhere between Texas and Colorado!

Sharing our exciting new venture with Bec’s parents, we talked about a name for our business. After a short discussion, Bec’s mother exclaimed, “Well, it’s pretty obvious to me! It should be BEC and CAL at your BEC N CALL!” The return trip to Allen was the spawning of all the ways we could serve our neighbors, friends and residents of the extended community in which we lived!

BEC N CALL Business & Personal Services, Inc., Allen, Texas, became reality . . .

ACROSS THE YEARS . . .

Little did we know how long our venture would succeed!. We just knew that we sensed a mission in Allen and the surrounding area so we plunged in with all of our strength and resources to serve our clients and neighbors well. Almost immediately, it was apparent that pet care wasn’t the only service needed in the community. Here are some of the questions we were fielding:

► In addition to caring for our pets, would you be able to take us to the airport?

► While we are traveling, the repairperson for our air conditioner needs access to the house. Would you be able to let him in, and keep an eye on the house?

► The pets really need to be groomed, could you take them to the groomer while we are away?

► I have a doctor appointment on Thursday. Would you be able to take me to Dallas, and wait for me to return home?

► Dad is in a senior care residence. We would like you to drop by and visit with him a few times while we are traveling.

There seemed to be no good reason to say, “No.” So we almost always said, “Yes”! That, we believe, has been the main reason we’ve been serving friends and neighbors and strangers for almost 14 years in Allen, McKinney, Plano and the surrounding area!

Within a relatively short period, we engaged several employees and purchased multiple new vehicles, all marked with our “juggler” logo that proclaimed, “Helping you juggle all of your worlds!”

The dream had become reality! Our list of services now offered numerous possibilities for scores of families who were moving into our community who had no extended family members in the area to help them while they were vacationing or traveling for business.

A treasured and rewarding benefit of these near-14 service years is that Bec and I have acquired life-long friends. Some are our employees. Others are clients. We have mourned the loss of their family members, and the deaths of their pets. We have conducted funerals for both people and pets. We have stood at the bedsides and graves of both dying client-friends and their beloved pets. In many cases, we have shared both their sorrows and their joys.

AT THE END . . .

Less than two years ago, Bec (born Rebecca) began to suffer the effects of osteoporosis and scoliosis. Her decline has been rapid. In July, 2010, Bec was literally just standing in our backyard when one of her hips just snapped and broke. She had hip surgery but determinedly returned to work within a few weeks.

On Christmas Eve in 2010, her other hip broke, right in the middle of the busiest time of the year for BEC N CALL! Recovery has taken longer for the second hip; and in addition, she has experienced numerous other broken bones – ribs, feet and vertebrae.

Despite at least a dozen surgeries and other procedures, including the injection of cement into 14 vertebrae, Bec has almost superhumanly remained committed to serving BEC N CALL and our clients. She suffers constantly – around-the-clock pain – yet she continues to operate and nurture BEC N CALL, along with her admiring spouse who has decided to retire with a lucky pair of 7’s later this year.

BEC N CALL Business & Personal Services, Inc., will close its doors on or about March 1, 2012 – later this week. On Monday, March 19, Bec will have major reconstructive back surgery at Presbyterian Hospital, Plano. The surgeon told us she will be hospitalized for a full month. If successful, rehabilitation and therapy will still require months of patience and recovery.

We are sharing our story with our clients and the community because it is necessary that we close our doors immediately. We will not seek to re-open our company.

We sincerely regret the inconvenience our friends and clients will experience. Many of you have been friend and client almost all the way back to BEC N CALL’s beginning in 1998. We treasure every friendship and relationship that has grown out of our happy mission. Thank you for trusting us with your children, your homes, your pets and your property. We do hope, however, that our paths will continue to cross. We wish you well!

UNFINISHED BUSINESS . . .

For those of you who have questions about BEC N CALL services scheduled for your homes, transportation or pets after February 29, 2012, you may call our usual business telephone number: 972-727-5574. You will receive a recording; however, the messages you leave will be happily received, and we will respond as quickly as possible. We are anxious to learn about any concerns you may have. You may also address correspondence to me, Cal Calvin, at cal@becncall.com. If you prefer to send a letter, please address it to:

Cal Calvin - BEC N CALL - 1406 Ambrose Drive - Allen, Texas 75002-8634

A WARM POSTSCRIPT FOR PET LOVERS . . .

When our Dalmatian, Sparkle, mentioned at the beginning of our story, was eight years old, we knew she needed a companion. Instead, she became an adoptive mother to our newest member of the family, an adorable apple-head Chihuahua we named Pound o’ Peanut!

Sparkle stood silently with cocked head when we arrived home with her new daughter. She had never seen a baby that small; she had never had a baby! Very quickly, Sparkle adopted Peanut, and within a few days Pound o’ Peanut was sleeping each night between 40-pound Sparkle’s front paws. What a sight! Mom Sparkle had to sleep now with her head resting on her left front paw. They were the best of mother-and-daughter buddies until Sparkle crossed the bar six years later. Peanut mourned for “Mom” as we did; she was physically ill for many days.

We are a family of three now, but our extended family consists of hundreds of pets we have cared for across the years – dogs, cats, gerbils, rabbits, fish, rats, mice, reptiles, donkeys, horses, parrots, Amazons, iguanas – you name them, in our 14 years of caring for pets, we probably cared for them!