Women in Business: Barbara Monaghan, Kristin Leedy, Libby Todd, Cindy Williams - Village Pet Care/Liberty Animal Hospital

The women of Village Pet Care had different paths that led them to become veterinarians, but they’re all there for the same reason: the strength of the bond between humans and animals.

“I think the best part of the job is the relationship we build with the clients and the pets. We love to see them as a pair, as a team,” associate veterinarian Libby Todd said.

Village Pet Care opened in March as a sister clinic to Liberty Animal Hospital, and it serves dogs, cats and “pocket pets” such as hamsters, hedgehogs, ferrets and rabbits. Partners Barbara Monaghan and Cindy Williams both had backgrounds in horse care and have 26 and 20 years of veterinary experience, respectively. Todd started out in dairy science but has been a small animal vet for 17 years, and associate veterinarian Kristin Leedy knew she wanted to be a vet since her third-grade class at Mountain Brook Elementary and has nine years of experience.

Village Pet Care offers a large variety of services, including bathing and grooming, vaccinations, preventative medicine, injury treatment, nutrition counseling, chemotherapy, laboratory testing, senior pet care and cutting edge treatments such as stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis. They also provide home visits, pet pickup for appointments and medication delivery. 

Monaghan noted that this requires a lot of flexibility.

“You can be an ophthalmologist for a guinea pig one minute and a dermatologist for a cat the next and an orthopedic surgeon the next,” Monaghan said. “It’s a challenge to be good at all things.”

Being a veterinarian can be an emotional job at times, and Leedy pointed out that they’re thinking about the pets in their care even when they are off the clock. 

“They’re going with us everywhere,” Leedy said.

But they do it for “the relentless love that animals have for humans,” and the chance to keep animals healthy and happy for their entire lives, Monaghan said. 

Leedy added that she enjoys the satisfaction that comes “when you can take an animal that’s sick and bring them back to full health.”

Taking care of a pet is about more than just the medical treatment. The vets at Village Pet Care build relationships with pets and owners that can last for years, and Todd said their customers can tell that the staff truly cares about their pets’ lives outside the clinic.

“People can tell when you are invested in the care of a pet versus you’re coming to work to do a job,” Monaghan agreed.

And whether they come in for a simple haircut or major treatment, that human-animal bond will always take top priority.

“We love to see [clients and pets] as a pair, as a team,” Todd said.

Village Pet Care is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.