Dr. Greta was raised on a small farm in rural Barnesville, Maryland only a few miles away from Clarksburg Animal Hospital.
Dr. Greta’s experiences working with large and small animals began as child when she watched her mother show Newfoundlands. During that time she was exposed to canine handling and training. Greta received her only pony, Topper, in kindergarten and rode horses locally until 6th grade. Dr. Greta’s family bred and raised sheep for wool and meat on their farm and was a member of the Montgomery Sheep and Swine 4-H club for 9 years (also learning about pigs).
During college and vet school, she worked with horses, cattle, pigs, chickens, llamas and alpacas. Throughout vet school, Dr. Greta was very actively involved in her family’s llama breeding program. She helped her mother manage the breeding program, formulated feed specific for their needs, showed the llamas, designed obstacle courses at shows, spoke at regional llama conferences, and created one of the worlds most comprehensive llama information sites, Llamapaedia. This type of hands on exposure throughout her life has given her the ability and insight to effectively work with animals and their behavior in many different situations. Today, with the exception of her parent’s llamas, Dr. Greta has limited her practice in Clarksburg to dogs and cats.
Dr. Greta graduated from Poolesville Jr. Sr. High School (they will always be the Indians to her) in 1990. She continued her study of animals at Cornell University where she received her Bachelors degree in Animal Science. From there, she went on to attend veterinary school at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (Virginia Tech) and graduated in 1998. During her years at Cornell and Virginia Tech, Greta would return home to work as a technician at Poolesville Vet Clinic. After graduating vet school, she then worked there as a doctor for six months. Dr. Greta then transitioned to Peachtree Vet Clinic where she practiced small animal medicine and surgery for nearly five years.
Always dreaming of someday owning a practice of her own, Dr. Greta found the Clarksburg area an ideal location for a vet hospital. It was close to the community where she grew up and seemed to be the perfect fit for her desire to become a vital partner within a growing community!
The building in which the hospital is currently located served as the United States Post office of Clarksburg from 1961 – 2001. On August 30, 2004 Dr. Greta proudly re-opened the doors to the building, to serve the community as Clarksburg Animal Hospital. By rehabilitating and giving new purpose to this historic landmark she was able create viability in a community close to where she’d grown up. Dr. Greta lives close by in Frederick County, with her husband Dewey, their son Trevor, their two Flat-Coated Retrievers (who are often at work with Dr. Greta) and their one cat.
