UNLEASHING CARE

DR. SARAH BAKER has been unleashing care on furry friends for well over a decade. As owner of Lane Veterinary, she has an incredible amount of experience in her field. She enjoys internal medicine and dental workups, but most importantly, she loves getting to play such an important part in the human-animal bond.

What has been the most significant barrier in your career and how have you persevered? One of the biggest barriers has been the shift in veterinary medicine from privately owned practices to corporate operations. Many of the long-standing veterinary practices sold to corporations in recent years blocking associate veterinarians from taking ownership. This shift pushed me to take the leap into practice ownership and I wouldn’t change a thing!

What are you most proud of doing? I am most proud of my family. My husband and I have two wonderful and silly young children. We each own small businesses, so it’s fulfilling to share our start-up journeys with the kids and have them involved in the process. We’ve also got a small zoo with two dogs, two cats, the occasional foster puppy, and even a foster duck! The kids love helping find our fosters forever families.

What is the most important characteristic of an effective leader? I wholeheartedly believe the most important characteristic of an effective leader is empathy. When you lead with empathy you are always putting the best interest of your team, and in my situation my patients and their parents, at the forefront. At Lane, we remember to treat every pet parent with empathy when they visit us. A visit is often very stressful for pets and their family members, so we ensure everyone is met with empathy.

For more information, visit lanevet.com.