Family Friends Veterinary Hospital is a family business that’s been a Grand Rapids staple for years and now their very own Dr. Ryan Carpenter was nominated as the Midwest finalist for the Westminster Kennel Club Vet of Year.
The relationship between pet families and their veterinarians means a lot. So much so that the families who take their pets to Family Friends Veterinarian Hospital needed to say something. Dr. Ryan Carpenter’s clients submitted essays describing how fantastic of a vet they think he is to nominate him for the Westminster Veterinarian of the Year.
"It was it was it was surreal. I was kind of like, well, that doesn't make any sense. Like, I'm just doing my job. I'm just here to help pets and people, but it's an honor to be selected," said Dr. Ryan Carpenter, Family Friends veterinarian.
Dr. Carpenter says he loves to strengthen the bond between a pet and family by helping them in any way he can.
"I think that I'm there for them in time of need and I try to be able to help them in time of need and offer my advice and say, if this were my dog, this is what I would do," said Carpenter.
Without his amazing team, Dr. Carpenter says he wouldn't have been nominated for vet of the year. Family Friends Veterinary Hospital is a family-owned operation going back 15 years when Dr. Carpenter’s dad started taking care of our furry friends.
"I was probably in diapers and I go to the veterinary clinic with my dad on an emergency or something like that and really enjoyed being around pets," said Carpenter.
As a kid, Dr. Carpenter loved all the animals but never thought he would go into the family business. He says now he doesn’t work a day in his life because he loves what he does. "I really enjoy learning all the time I learned something or see something new, almost daily and I think for me that keeps it exciting. You never know. You know what might walk through the door what you might find and finding that mystery of what's wrong with a patient," said Carpenter.
After the nation voted for a week Dr. Carpenter didn’t win Westminster Kennel Club Vet of Year but he says it’s a huge accomplishment to be nominated and be named the Midwest finalist.
"Being nominated feels amazing to have clients that recognize that me as part of their lives, you know, I make a difference in their lives by caring for their pets so that that to me means everything winning the award isn't isn't the be all end all and it certainly feels good to know that people care that I'm helping them," said Carpenter.
This also isn't the first time Family Friends Veterinary Hospital has been recognized for its outstanding care. Most recently they were awarded the 2021 Best of Grand Rapids Animal Clinic.
