Given my love of medicine, I originally intended to pursue Pediatrics. However, I was fortunate enough to land a job with our family’s veterinarian while in high school. After coming home from work day after day and sharing interesting stories with my family, I was encouraged to pursue veterinary medicine.
As a practicing veterinarian for 25 years, I am so proud of the advances in veterinary medicine. Thanks to advanced diagnostics and medications, pets with diseases such as congestive heart failure can now live for many years instead of a few months.
I love my profession and think that organized veterinary medicine is so important to steer our profession in the right direction. I recently served as a delegate for the American Veterinary Medical Association and as President of the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association. During my tenure, I met many inspiring people and am proud to still serve on many various subcommittees.
Locally, I also serve on Cobb County Animal Services Board as a liaison for my County Commissioner and serve as the President of the Cobb County Veterinary Medical Association.
My wife, Sandy and I have been married for 27 years. She is my best friend. Our two daughters, Mary Catherine, and Anna Leigh are currently attending the University of Georgia. While we love our children dearly, being an empty nester is not so bad!
Nash is a 4-year-old mixed breed. I had him DNA tested. He is Chihuahua, Labrador, Brittany Spaniel, and Jack Russel Terrier (AKA my Chijackalabspaniel). Nash came to us from a cardboard box at a local gas station. Nash has a very outgoing personality. He never meets a stranger and loves adventure.
Dottie is a 5-year-old mixed breed who looks like Nash’s long-lost cousin. However, Dottie’s DNA showed a Rottweiler, Jack Russel Terrier, Cocker Spaniel, Chow cross. Since she is 20 pounds and white, I struggle to see the Rottweiler in her. After being an only child for the first year, we decided that Nash needed a friend. We went to a local rescue adoption day and let Nash pick out his new friend. After spending 30 minutes and meeting at least 15 dogs, we knew Dottie was the perfect fit. The chemistry between the two was obvious from the start.
Tuck is a 3-year-old Golden Retriever. Raised by two smaller dogs, Tuck thinks he can sit in your lap. His favorite thing in life revolves around tennis balls. At the age of one, we had to find an alternative to the felt covered tennis ball because he was beginning to wear down his teeth from carrying a ball around. Luckily, we found a great substitute and his ball playing days can continue.
Rudy is a 10-year-old, DSH. Rudy adopted us (that’s what cats do) as a kitten. Rudy is the happiest individual I know. Nothing seems to bother him. We could all learn some life lessons from Rudy.
We also have 2 grandcats, Trio and Runten. As his name implies, Trio is missing a back leg after being hit by a car at 8 weeks of age. Trio was brought into our hospital by a Good Samaritan for euthanasia due to his injuries. After about 10 seconds, I knew Trio would make a perfect fit to our household. After surgical and nursing care, Trio became a member of the family.
Runten was discovered after we trapped a feral female cat to spay her and vaccinate her. During her surgery, it was obvious she had recently had kittens. After searching the woods where she was trapped, we discovered a litter of 4 kittens. Runten was the smallest and least likely to survive. We found homes for the other 3 kittens right away but decided to keep Runten due to the care he required. After many nights of bottle feeding, plus an emergency trip to our hospital in the middle of the night to treat low blood sugar induced seizures, Runten has grown into a healthy adult. Runten recently took a road trip with Mary Catherine and saw the Grand Canyon, Bourbon Street, Moab, and Yellowstone National Park just to name a few places. Runten travels in a backpack and loves to walk on a harness.
I love to travel. Whether domestically or internationally, I love to meet people from different cultures, experience their cuisine, and enjoy the beautiful scenery the area has to offer.
I love hiking and kayaking, especially when the dogs get to go. Hiking with the dogs is easy but trying to fit Tuck into a kayak is tricky.
