He or she? Don't confuse patients' gender in front of clients

Most clients don't appreciate their female pets being referred to as he—and vice versa. To avoid this mistake, we put either blue or pink highlighter dots next to the name on each patient's chart. All it takes is a quick glance to see whether Scruffy is a boy or a girl. It's actually quite a bit more helpful than we thought it would be, and our patients' owners appreciate us knowing their pets on a personal level.

— Kendra Grant, receptionist VCA Howell Branch Animal Hospital; Winter Park, Fla.