Dr. Helen Smith (Evans) was born in northern California and moved to a farm in small-town Alden, New York, at age 11. From the start, she knew she wanted to be a Veterinarian and never strayed from that path. She attended Cornell University for her undergraduate degree in animal science and graduated with honors. Helen then attended Ross University in St. Kitts, where she graduated salutatorian, second in her class.
After graduating in 2008, Dr. Smith moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to start her career. She worked at a couple of locations, including a Dental Specialist facility, where Dr Nossaman, DAVDC, took her under her wing and taught her dentistry until she moved to Dallas to open a dental-only practice. With specialized training, Dr. Smith quickly developed a passion for dental surgery and continued to grow her education and skills. After 11 years in the Phoenix desert, she moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. She settled into a practice in Farragut, Tennessee, and quickly took over the more complicated dental cases. There, Dr. Smith was able to have a little taste of the farm life she grew up with, having a flock of chickens and geese, and even started keeping honeybees.
Helen’s husband, Peter Smith, is a 4th fourth-generation veteran. His Great Grandfather was in the Army in WWI, his Grandfather was in the Navy in WWII, and his Father was in the Army for 22 years, most of that time spent during the Cold War. Peter was born in Germany and raised in several locations, as the Army moves service members around regularly. Peter joined the Army Reserves in 1999 and went on active duty in 2000. He spent his 21 years in the Army as an Animal Care Specialist (68T) or unlicensed Veterinary Technician.
His first duty station was Lackland Air Force Base, where he was able to work at the Department of Defense Military Working Dog Center. He learned more there than at any of his other assignments and had the privilege of working with some extraordinary people and animals. Peter augmented the 993rd Medical Detachment during a tour in Afghanistan. Unable to find an apprenticeship after retirement, he returned to veterinary medicine and worked at two emergency clinics and a practice in Farragut, Tennessee.
Dr. Smith and Peter met in Tennessee and hit it off. After a year of trying to find a house in Tennessee during the tough housing market, they decided to move to Floyd to be closer to Peter’s family. They quickly fell in love with Floyd’s agrarian community and charm. They live here in Floyd with Peter’s 14-year-old son, Mason, 1 Bassett hound, three cats, one lizard, two tropical fish tanks, and a flock of 7 chickens.
Dr. Smith worked at a practice in Roanoke but was unhappy with the commute. After learning there was a great need for a veterinarian in town, Dr. Smith and Peter decided to open Whiskers & Tails. The Smiths are thrilled to provide the community with much-needed veterinary care. They strive to provide quality and compassionate care at affordable prices and a healthy workplace for employees. The selected staff, including Dr. Smith and Peter, combined, have almost 70 years of experience in the veterinary field.
Whiskers and Tails currently offers services for dogs and cats but may expand its services to other species in the future. They provide preventative care and medical and surgical care for sick pets. Their facilities feature three patient exam rooms infused with calming pheromones to help ease patient anxiety, with one room dedicated just to cats. Diagnostics include in-house bloodwork, send-out bloodwork, dental and full-body radiology, ultrasound, and microscopy. A complete surgical suite is available, equipped with a heated surgery table, LED surgical lighting, ECG, blood pressure, oxygenation, carbon dioxide, and temperature monitoring. Surgical procedures offered include routine sterilizations, some soft tissue surgery, some orthopedics, and, of course, dentistry (in a dedicated dental suite).
Whiskers and Tails offers the services of Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) Robyn, with 17 years of experience working at Virginia Tech Teaching Hospital. They also have two staff members enrolled in vet technician learning programs, Sarah and Peter. Former clients of the Animal Care Center in Floyd with Dr. McGrath may recognize Sarah from her time there before they closed. Likewise, although she is no longer practicing veterinary medicine, Dr. McGrath may be seen popping her head in to say “hi” and work on building maintenance from time to time. The receptionist, Seanna, hails from Texas and has 12 years of experience working in the veterinary field. They also have two veterinary assistants, Allie and Julia.
Whiskers and Tails Floyd Veterinary Hospital is excited to open its doors to serve Floyd and looks forward to years of serving this wonderful community. Feel free to stop by for a tour and to meet the staff any time before bringing in your four-legged friends!