copyright the Chronicle January 18, 2017
by Elizabeth Trail
DERBY — When it snowed recently, Dr. Kim O’Connor, the new owner of Derby Pond Animal Hospital, ran to the window in her office in excitement.
“Oh look, it’s snowing!” she exclaimed, watching the flakes come down.
“And the staff just looked at me,” she said in an interview on Monday. “They must have thought I was crazy.”
Dr. O’Connor was born and raised in Georgia. She moved to Vermont in June to take over the business founded and owned until recently by Dr. Steve Sanford.
She’s already bought ultrasound equipment for the practice.
“People were having to drive a long way to get that service,” she said.
And soon she hopes to have 24-hour emergency service and a large animal vet, both services that are in short supply in the Northeast Kingdom.
“It’s not going to happen overnight,” she said. “I’ve never owned a business before, so I’m taking it one step at a time. Baby steps.”
The veterinary practice where she worked in Savannah was big, with lots of people bringing pets for one-time emergency visits and few repeat customers.
In the smaller, more laid back Derby Pond practice, she’s enjoying the chance to form bonds with pets and their owners.
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