It takes a village to raise a pet – or be a good business partner

The name Village Vet Animal Clinic piqued my interest the first time I drove by the newly opened building in Capitol Hill. There was something warm and welcoming about it. 

So, when I was invited by its University of Calgary-alumni owners to chat about their new endeavour, I jumped at the chance. My first question for Drs. Jess Ouellet and Tara Morris: What is the significance of the name?

“Well, they say it takes a village to raise a child — but it also takes a village to raise a pet well, or to be a partner or a business owner,” says Morris, BSc'11, DVM’15. “We’re a family-focused clinic, with a goal to rebuild trust and transparency in the veterinary industry.”

As Morris explains this, I can’t help but look past her out the window in the exam room door and into the “back-of-house” clinic area. I have a clear view of the in-house pharmacy, entrances to surgical suites and where the techs are doing all their “techie” things. I can literally see what she’s saying.

The past decade has seen an increase in private-practice veterinarian owners selling their businesses to corporate managers. The costs of running a clinic, along with long hours due to a shortage in veterinarians, make this option attractive. In an effort to streamline services, this option allows vets to focus on their expertise of animal health while leaving much of the running of the business to corporate owners. 

While this model grows in popularity, some pet owners report that they feel that focused, individualized care for their pet has been lost in the process. While corporate-owned clinics are also working to address this concern, it’s this disconnect that Morris and Ouellet wanted to address.

“Relationships are best served in collaboration,” says Ouellet, BSc'08, DVM'13. “It’s not just about us telling our clients what they should do, but also about us listening to our clients about what they can and want to do.”

Morris echoes that sentiment: “It’s not ‘gold-standard’ or nothing. It’s about providing treatment options and knowing your clients and what they need.”

Part of knowing the clients is not keeping them in the dark. The clinic was purposefully designed with windows and open areas so that clients can see what is happening with their pet. As they enter, a giant window looking into the back treatment area greets clients. 

There are “cat-only” exam rooms with high perches and big windows to make kitty-clients feel more comfortable. There is an extra exterior door, right into an exam room, so that nervous-nelly dogs can come directly in for an exam, rather than waiting in a busy lobby. They even have a retail boutique to invite walk-in traffic, with locally made crafts by colleagues from Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) colleagues and specialized leashes made from repurposed climbing equipment.

Outside of simply providing the best service they can to their clients, the two veterinarians are community-builders at heart. From hosting kids’ birthday parties, to getting kids excited about animals, to mentoring future vet students, they are all about bringing people together. 

They’ll be hosting their first UCVM student vets in 2025, as part of the faculty's distributed veterinary learning community, a pioneering model in which students get hands-on practise with real-life clients and real-life situations.

Based on her experience with UCVM’s northern rotation, providing vet services to animals in remote communities in the Northwest Territories, Ouellet was inspired to do something locally.

“We held preventive health clinics in Tsuut’ina (Nation)," says Ouellet. "We did treatments like vaccines, wound cleaning, checkups and referrals to over 200 pets in just one weekend, as well as a subsequent clinic a month later to ensure that all animals received the necessary booster vaccines.”

Always the dynamic duo, Morris finishes Ouellet’s thought: “Of course, we couldn’t have done that by ourselves. We had this amazing team of 40 volunteer UCVM students, vets and technicians that came out and donated their time to helping these families. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

While they are working to re-establish traditional connections, Morris and Ouellet are also blazing new paths forward in the veterinary sector. Despite the fact that more than 80 per cent of veterinarians identify as female, fewer than 30 per cent of veterinary clinic owners are women. 

Both accomplished veterinarians and business owners, Morris and Ouellet understand the intricate balancing act of life, juggling roles as parents, spouses and professionals. Recognizing the value of collective effort, they have embraced a community-centric model, knowing that true success and fulfilment come from collaboration and mutual support.

“It’s about thriving, and us all working together to support each other to get to that point,” says Morris.

Their commitment to this philosophy is inspiring, demonstrating that, together, we can achieve more than we ever could alone.