Dr. Lucas graduated from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. She moved back to her hometown of West Branch with her husband Josh to begin her career as a veterinarian. Working as a veterinarian and owning her own practice was a dream she had since childhood. Prior to attending veterinary school, Dr. Lucas studied abroad in Ireland and then worked on a Thoroughbred breeding farm and a large equine hospital, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, in Lexington, KY. Working with Thoroughbred foals taught her the importance of being able to recognize and understand when an animal is not normal- which is a skill she continues to utilize daily. Dr. Lucas feels that she worked alongside the best veterinarians and medical teams at Hagyard, and it helped solidify the goal of becoming a veterinarian. After veterinary school, Dr. Lucas had the opportunity to come “home” and begin her career. It didn’t take long to begin realizing that the dream of practice ownership was on the horizon and Compassionate Veterinary Care began to be formed.

Owning and operating her own practice meant that Dr. Lucas could put into motion some of the values that she believed were essential to workplace happiness and balance. She also knew that this meant that she could facilitate a low stress approach to visits for both clients and their furry family members. Building a fantastic team has been a huge part of CVC’s success. She says, “Our team is the best- everyone believes in treating all of our patients as they would want their pets to be treated. I laugh every day, even on the hardest days- there is always a pet or a person that will lift my spirits.” As a team, we are focused on slowing down and listening to our clients, and taking the time to really observe our patients.

Compassionate Veterinary Care strives to find connections with clients and pets in many ways and at the specific stage of their life. Dr. Lucas is most fulfilled when she’s able to treat and relieve health problems in senior and geriatric pets so they are able to live more comfortably during the last phase of their life. At CVC we appreciate the trust people have in us when working with their pets at all stages of life. When we are meeting new puppies and kittens we try to establish healthy habits as early as possible to help prevent future problems.

Dr. Lucas’ favorite CVC Core Value is: Compassion, naturally. “I’m afraid of how people seem to lack empathy with others. We lack Compassion as a society. I believe I can help by actively listening so I can understand how to best help a nervous pet parent, in addition to being a doctor for the animal. At home, we try to teach our children that what makes people (and animals) different is what makes us beautiful and great- and that the better we understand, the more of a positive impact we can make.”

Dr. Lucas loves living in Michigan and taking advantage of all it has to offer! You will often find her and her husband Josh, on the Banks of the Red Cedar proudly wearing Green and White during football season, enjoying the sun and sand on a lakeshore somewhere, or bundled up playing in the snow. Their three daughters, Marlee, Lila and Annie keep them on their toes and are a daily reminder that life moves too fast not to enjoy every moment. Their fur family members include two mutts, Mabel and Jack and one cat named Gus.

Josh is the husband of Dr. Lucas and has been involved with the overall vision and creation of Compassionate Veterinary Care since the beginning. This past summer, Josh left his career teaching middle school to become CVC’s Practice Manager. Josh is enjoying the new career and the challenges that come with it. Being part of a workplace that makes decisions for both clients as well as our own team based on Core Values provides such an important part of wellbeing and workplace gratification. He believes that the culture of CVC is what makes CVC a great place to both work and bring furry family members. He loves helping the team at CVC work through challenges, developing systems that make the clinic’s work more efficient, and being a positive part of people’s lives in a new, exciting way.

In his free time, Josh loves sports and cheering on his favorite teams whether local high school kids, MSU Spartans or even the Denver Broncos. Golf and fishing are his favorite summer activities. Being the Dad of three little girls provides multiple adventures year round. Josh was born in West Branch, but has lived in quite a few other places including Colorado, Oklahoma, and even Hawaii. Being “back home” has always been a preference and he loves that he is able to help provide our local community the kind of care CVC offers and proudly provides.

Sarah is one of our Licensed Veterinary Technicians. Sarah was born and raised in Houghton Lake, Michigan. She attended Alpena Community College on volleyball scholarship, then finished schooling and licensing to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician at Baker College in Cadillac. She loves spending summers out on the lake, and visiting different wineries or restaurants. Sarah is a lover of all food (besides fish).

Sarah says that her favorite parts about working at CVC are the atmosphere and the food! She believes that respect and kindness are values that help drive her work and personal life. Sarah has three dogs: A yellow lab named Blu, an English setter named Schrute, and a Pitbull mix named Bindi. Sarah provides great care for CVC patients, she is very motivated by helping our patients live happy, healthy lives.

Michaela was born and raised in Houghton Lake, Michigan. She graduated from the Baker College Veterinary Technology Program and has been a Licensed Veterinary Technician at CVC since. Michaela most likes working at CVC because of the focus on making the clinic experience as stress-free as possible for owners, patients, and the team itself. Ensuring that the patient is as comfortable as can be while at CVC is important, and she loves that the entire team strives for this for each and every pet. Michaela values being an advocate for animals and giving them the voice they don’t have. She works hard to provide care for your pets in the same way she would want her own pet to be treated and cared for. Michaela also strives to provide great client education so that their pets can live their best lives.

Michaela has a Goldendoodle named Colt who she loves spending time with. She also loves to try new restaurants and new foods while hanging out with friends. Michaela also enjoys spending time with her little nephews and new niece!

Sharon joined us as a veterinarian assistant/client care specialist in January of 2018. She grew up in Mikado, MI near the Air Force base. She feels fortunate to have grown up in Northern Michigan exposed to many different cultures. With her family, Sharon likes to play board games, roller skate & watch movies. Before joining the CVC staff, as a client, Sharon was impressed by the care and kindness of the CVC staff, so when an opportunity became available, she was eager to join the team.

“During our first visit to the clinic as clients, Dr. Lucas and the rest of the staff made us feel very at ease and really took their time addressing all of our questions and concerns.”

Home is quite busy, as Sharon and her husband Marc are often foreign exchange student parents. They also have one dog, several cats, so there is never a dull moment. On the weekends that Sharon and her family are not cheering her daughter Emma on at the soccer fields, you might find them enjoying the perks of living in town. “Marc and I love taking the dogs for walks on the Riverwalk path and through the park. We feel very fortunate to live in such a beautiful small town.”

Sharon has a passion for many of the best parts of CVC. She loves entering into a relationship with pet owners so that she can help provide great care, education, and being part of the difference that helps pets live their healthiest lives.

Terry is a life-long resident of the West Branch area. With many years of customer service experience she brings a steady approach to even some of the most challenging situations. Terry has always had a love for animals; from growing up on a farm, raising animals in 4-H, and now having pets of her own. Juno, the cat, is the family staple. She admires the commitment that the CVC team has to promote a compassionate, stress free visit for our furry friends. Terry is always excited to see a successful treatment plan for a pet and knows that it truly helps the pet and it’s family. She also knows that the culture of CVC is to support each other as family, we are often each other’s support group!

In her free time, Terry can be found volunteering with her daughter’s Girl Scout troop, camping throughout Michigan with her family and friends, crocheting, and spending time outside gardening. If Terry could solve one of the world’s problems it would be to “Save the Bees, plant wildflowers!”

Ashley joined the CVC team in February of 2021, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge working in the human health care and human resources fields. Ashley’s experience with customer service for families and patients made her a great CVC fit. Ashley finds it very fulfilling to work in a place that has the Core Values that CVC adheres to. She is also inspired by the compassion, empathy and care an owner is given when coming in with a sick pet.

She was born and raised in West Branch and enjoys spending time with her three children, and husband, Kit. The Smith family has two rescue dogs, Rihanna who is 8 years old, and Chip who is 7 years old. They both bring so much love and excitement into our life. They love pup cups from Dairy Queen, going for car rides, camping with us and wearing their bandanas from CVC! Ashley loves to spend time together with family camping in the summers, enjoying soccer in the fall and playing board games and doing puzzles together. She considers herself an attempted crafter and enjoys whipping things up in the kitchen. Ashley is also our in-house Britney Spears and taco expert.