3+’s second blog post features the Coverdale Veterinary Hospital. Most of this blog post has been informed by an interview the 3+ team conducted with the veterinary hospital’s owner and founder, Dr. Margaret Dunnett.
Dr. Dunnett has been a practicing veterinarian for 23 years. She received her bachelor’s degree from Mount Allison university and then completed the Doctor in Veterinary Medicine Program at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island. Further, 13 years ago she started her practice in Riverview, at 516 Pinewood Rd-where it is still located today. She chose Riverview as the city in which she would start her practice, because it seemed like the natural choice for her seeing as she grew up in Riverview. And she chose this industry because of her burning passion for animals and helping them. 
As Dr. Dunnett explained, the Coverdale Veterinary Hospital is unique in that it is Fear Free certified. Last fall, the Coverdale Veterinary Hospital received their Fear Free certification. Fear Free is a scientific approach to veterinary medicine that stands in contrast to the traditional approach and focuses on mitigating animals’ anxiety, fears, and stress while receiving care. At the Coverdale Veterinary Hospital, this entails choosing specific colors for blankets and towels, using calming pheromones, playing calming music, using novel handling techniques, using novel toys, and giving higher value treats. Importantly, the Coverdale Veterinary Hospital is the only veterinary hospital east of Ontario to be Fear Free certified.
As Dr. Dunnett explains, a logical extension of their adoption of the Fear Free philosophy of targeting animal’s anxiety, fears, and stresses was to start offering home calls. Although the hospital has always provided at-home euthanasia, the hospital has recently begun offering almost every service that is available in the hospital at the comfort of an animal’s home. This is in accordance with fear free’s happy homes program. Some of these services involve vaccinations, nail trims, wellness visits, taking blood, re-checks of blood collections, and regular blood work and treatments. She says that this service is very important in ensuring the best experience for pets and that animals who deal with stress and anxiety related to travelling to hospitals to get care instead of their owners simply putting off their care. Dr. Dunnett says that this is particularly a problem with cats. She also expressed to us that the greatest challenge in providing this home call service has been getting the word out that it even exists.
Dr. Dunnett says that the most rewarding part of running her veterinary hospital is being able to work with and help animals, and to form a healthcare team with pet owners and pets by getting to know pet owners and informing them on how to keep their animals healthy. Additionally, Dr. Dunnett notes that her practice’s Fear Free certification has made operating her practice even more enjoyable. As she puts it, “you see a dog or cat who has been unpleasant coming in for their appointments (before Fear Free) but are now (with the Fear Free certification) rubbing up against you and seeking attention instead of hiding”.
Moreover, Dr Dunnett says she likes the Greater Moncton business community because of how close knit it is. She likes how it is growing and is large enough to have a good number of customers but at the same time people still know each other. She likes the connection with the community that Moncton offers by being the size it is. “Moncton is just such a great place, the surrounding area, considering the size of the city, is still very tight knit” she said.
A piece of advice that she has for people looking to start a business in Moncton is to find something you are passionate about. Doing something that you like and know well will help you to be more successful and enjoy your time as a business owner.
Nicholas Caissie and Parker Barriault, 3+ Corporation