Pets and their families have been coming to Columbia Veterinary Center for nearly 50 years. And, if owner Dr. Tammy Cleveland has her way, they’ll be coming for another 50 years.
Located east of Hazel Dell off 78th Street, this vet clinic was founded by Dr. Tom Brown in 1969. Cleveland went to work for Brown in the early 90s, right after she graduated from veterinary school, and purchased the clinic a couple years later when he retired.
“It was sooner than I anticipated, but I just went for it,” said Cleveland.
In the ensuing years, the clinic evolved from a mixed practice treating horses, cattle and small animals to focusing exclusively on cats, dogs, and other “pocket pets” such as hedgehogs and turtles. Although of course the clinic gets new customers on a regular basis, Cleveland said that one unique aspect of her business is that some of her clients are third-generation.
“Some have been coming here since way before I went to vet school – and now their children, and then their children are bringing their pets.”
But whether the client has been coming to Columbia Veterinary Center for 30 years or just one year, Cleveland said her goal is to make sure everyone gets treated like family.
“We treat their animals like they are our own pets and make them feel like they belong here,” stated Cleveland.
To accomplish that goal, her staff works closely as a team. Unlike some veterinary clinics, she said many of her staff have been with the clinic a long time. Low turnover makes building relationships with the clients and working for a common mission – promoting pet health – easier.
Over the years, Cleveland said, the focus of the clinic has shifted from routine care (such as annual vaccines, exams, spays/neuters and emergency surgeries) to more preventive medicine such as blood screens, dental care and nutrition.
“We have come to understand what a huge role nutrition plays in an animal’s long-term health,” said Cleveland. “Clients today are much more open to seeking higher level of care, such as for a dog with a cardiac issue or a skin issue.”
While Cleveland has owned the business for 30-plus years, until recently she rented the building. But her clinic has outgrown the 3,000-square foot space, and she recently purchased the building and one-acre lot on which it is located, with plans to “expand and grow.”
“Our hope is to build a brand new facility that reflects what we do here,” she explained. “The practice has grown and changed and continued to evolve with medicine and with the times, but the building hasn’t done that.”
The firm currently employs 13 staff (up from about six in 1993), and Cleveland said she is getting ready to add two or three more employees.
“When we build, I anticipate we’ll add even more,” said Cleveland.
While she is excited about the opportunities a new facility will offer, Cleveland said that what really drives her is helping establish and maintain the relationships between her clients and their pets. Besides her daily work at the clinic, she works closely with Second Chance Companions, a local animal rescue operation. She also volunteers at Share House, and runs a monthly vaccine and flea treatment clinic for pets of Share clients.
Medicine and science are all well and good, she said, but the really important thing to southwest Washington families is “being able to help preserve that human-animal bond.”
Columbia Veterinary Center
Founded 1969
13 employees
www.columbiavetcenter.com
