New ClientsI was bred, born and raised in Michigan. I was nine when I decided I was going to be a veterinarian who bred & showed dogs as a hobby. While my chosen profession and hobby choice never changed, both of these took time to take shape. In 1979, my 4-H leader gave me my first Pembroke Welsh Corgi “Chucky”, to show in obedience. I trained him through Utility and showed him in the breed ring, just to get my feet wet; he became “Ch Barak’s Justin CDX” despite the distraction of my starting college at Michigan State University in 1981. I acquired my first Pembroke Welsh Corgi bitch in 1983 and had my first litter during my first year in Vet School. Jessica became an AKC Champion and produced my first home bred Champion. There have been many Champion Corgis with my kennel prefix “Sandfox” since that time. And I have occasionally gotten to judge a bit.

I graduated from Michigan State University in 1989 and practiced small animal medicine in Michigan for my first 4 years out of college. I love Michigan but the weather can be a touch… cold. I have always loved Kentucky. So in 1992, I began looking for a practice to purchase in the state. I bought Academy Animal Hospital from Dr. Bill Fling in 1993. It had been a thriving practice since he built it in 1984 and we continue to do well here to this day. I devote my practice to dogs and cats exclusively so that I might concentrate all my efforts in continuing education and work to be the best I can be in Internal Medicine and Surgery. My only regret is that, due to owning a practice, I have not been able to pursue board certification in surgery. However, I have been able to do a wide range of Soft Tissue and Orthopedic surgery here that has lead to a great deal of experience in the area of surgery. We do thyroidectomys, conjunctival grafts, chest surgery, abdominal exploratory, bone plating, cruciate and patellar luxations, cosmetic surgery and many other procedures in addition to routine surgery like spaying and castration. Also, as a Breeder, I offer a good range of reproductive services including AI’s, semen implants and C-Sections. We have always had the ability to do complete blood work panels in the clinic with turn around usually within a half an hour. Recently, we have updated our equipment to include the ability to run Phenobarbital, Thyroid screen, Fructosamine and Pancreatic tests in house with the same quick turn around. I bought our digital radiograph machine in 2009 and have been able to offer excellent diagnostic radiographs for disease diagnosis as well has performing OFA screening.

Our Staff is tremendous. Stacey Henderson has been on the staff since 1990 or before. Three others have been here from before 2000. Lindsey is a recent graduate of Morehead State and is our third Veterinary Technician. I am proud of our staff. We have another Veterinarian, Dr Ruth Boll, who you may see frequently. Dr. Boll is a relief Veterinarian and … gives me a lot of relief! She is a graduate of Ohio State University and practices a high quality of Medicine & Surgery just as I do.

My other hobbies include bird watching, reading fantasy novels, and watching baseball – usually the Detroit Tigers but sometimes I get down to watch the Cincinnati Reds.

Read My Article “A Watched Bitch Never Whelps”