It was one of the hottest days of the summer, but Country Doctor Animal Hospital was in a festive mood.

They invited the community to celebrate with them.

The reason? The accreditation of the hospital by The American Animal Hospital Association.

“It’s a big deal because only 15% of all animal hospitals are accredited,” says Madeleine Huyett, business manager for Country Doctor. “It shows that we are held to higher standards of care.”

Clients and attendees, Jason and Ann Kirka with Cassie and Max “We love them,” Ann said. “We make sure they [dogs Cassie and Max] see all the vets.”

Jason added, that the Country Doctor vets do their best to take care of all their pets.

Despite the heat, there were plenty of smiles.

The community had a chance to cool off with ice cream from the Nesting Box, get their faces painted, meet animals at the petting zoo, play games and enter basket raffles.

“The proceeds collected from the basket raffles will be donated to animal rescue organizations,” Huyett said.

Rescue organizations in attendance included Forgotten Felines and Fidos, Scarlet Heart, and Starting Over Animal Rescue or SOAR.

One of SOAR’s members, Lorraine with foster dog, Josie, explained that the organization doesn’t have a brick and mortar facility.

“It’s more like a community of foster homes and people with big hearts,” she said.

Towards to the end of the event, lightning flashed and rain poured down, so attendees moved inside for safety.

It gave everyone an opportunity to rub elbows with their favorite veterinarians.

Although the rain cooled the temperature quite a bit, Kim Kish, VMD noted that, “On days this hot it’s best to keep your pets indoors, and only exercise them in the early morning and evening.”

The AAHA accreditation is done every two years and involves a lot paperwork, virtual tours and inspections.

For more information about Country Doctor Veterinary Hospital, visit https://cdvh.com/.