Growing up on a dairy farm in northern Michigan, animals have always been a part of my world. As a child, I had fish aquariums, chickens, cats, dogs and even raised rabbits (yes, I know that isn’t very hard). When I was 10, I was excited to find a sick bald eagle - and was able to nurse him back to health, only to realize that it was actually a vulture! Please be assured my animal identification skills have improved since my boyhood. After entering college, I tried to determine what my strengths were and kept being pulled back to what I was passionate about - animals and medicine.

I graduated from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and initially worked in Lakeland with large animals, but very quickly moved to a small animal practice in Orlando, realizing that I enjoyed the interaction of pets and their owners. Once an opportunity was available, I came back to Lakeland and in 1988 opened All Creatures. Our little practice quickly grew and we became part of an incredible community of pet families. I am fortunate to have been part of the many advances in pet health during my 33 years in practice. While much of my time has been involved with surgery, internal medicine, and dermatology, I have also come to appreciate that alternative medical treatments may be the best option in some cases.

I became certified in Veterinary Chiropractic in 1999 and am currently working to complete certification for Veterinary Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine. Additional interests I have are lameness and injury management. I can’t tell you how rewarding it has been for us to have the opportunity to work so closely with a community of people to help extend and improve the quality of life for their animal companions.

Personally, I have been married for 40 years to my wife, Sue, and we have three children, three grandchildren, two dogs, and one cat. In my free time, I enjoy skiing, getting away for long weekends with family, and best of all…. being "pops" to my little grandchildren.