“We’re from this area, we want to stay in this area,” said Joe Maynard. “We want to do what we can to help out the people that we’ve lived with for a long time.”
Joe Maynard is a Northwestern graduate and worked as veterinarian in a local clinic for six years. His wife, Nikki, graduated from Graham High School and Wittenberg University and practiced in the Kenton area before opening this clinic.
“We felt the obligation to do things for ourselves the way we thought should be done,” Maynard said. “And in spite of the way the economy is going, people really do appreciate health care for pets and are not afraid to do what needs to be done for them.”
The couple was inspired by the building, which Nikki Maynard said had a lot of potential. The former Perkins dining room was made into exam, treatment and surgery rooms, while the kitchen was modified into a lab, dental area, and dog and cat wards.
“It’s a good area. It’s well established, and we felt there was a need on this end of town for people who live out in the Northwestern School District.”
Nikki Maynard said she feels the industry is growing.
“It’s definitely growing,” she said. “People are becoming more aware of the need for preventative care. Dental care is a big area where we’re seeing advancement being made.”
She said there has been a lot of progress in surgical procedures to make pets more comfortable and able to live longer, better lives.
The area has good veterinarians, but often local pet owners lack the knowledge about when to take pets to the vet, said Jimmy Straley, director of the Clark County Humane Society.
“Clark County is lucky. We have a lot of good vets based in this area,” Straley said. “We’ve got a lot of vets really really close together and great pets, but all we see is people who won’t take (his or her pet) to the vet.”
Straley said animal owners should take pets to the veterinarian at least once a year for inoculations.
“If you can’t financially or emotionally care for your animal, maybe you shouldn’t have one if you cant afford to go,” Straley said.”…There are yearly inoculations they should get, once a year is the bare minimum. We’re not talking about a huge financial investment either.”
Besides surgery and routine clinic services, Nikki Maynard plans to add more emergency care in the future add another veterinarian.
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