Columbus’ female-run Athens Animal Clinic represents the changing times. Growing up on a dairy farm three miles west of Hope, Dr. Brooke Case knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. She once convinced her mother to let an injured chicken inside the house. Under her care, the chicken became so docile that it would sit and watch television with the family. She now runs Athens Animal Clinic, and while she said most vets will say that they chose the profession because of their love of animals, Case thought it was “pretty cool” that vets could figure out what was wrong with an animal without talking to them. She knew she wanted to do something in the medical field, and the communication challenge really piqued her interest in veterinary medicine. She decided in seventh grade to pursue that career, and in high school she volunteered with a vet she knew from the farm. Although Case was set in her goals, her dreams were planted in a male-dominated field. Her high school guidance counselor told her she should just do some sort of office work. But Case said her mind was already made up. She was accepted to vet school at Purdue University in the fall of 1982. Case’s associate, Stacey Shore, had a different experience. She also attended veterinary school at
Top: Dr. Brooke Case checks the heartbeat of a tiny patient in one of the exam rooms at Athens. Above: Dr. Stacey Shore bandages the leg of Roxy, a Chihuahua.
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