Dr. Heather Misener and partner Adam Yoshida had a vision. 

We wanted to build a new veterinary practice in a relatively new and growing branch of VetMed, a branch that focuses on medicine that enhances quality of life. At a time when our previous careers and learning journeys had left us both feeling empty and unfulfilled, and wondering how to improve our own quality of living, we found ourselves hungry to assume risk in exchange for pursuing opportunity. We sold our fixed-up starter home in California for seed funding, and moved to a new environment to join millions of others on the journey of entrepreneurship.

Dr. Heather originally started Ruff Day in 2018, providing in-home acupuncture and rehabilitation services, and quickly learned much of what would inspire and inform the creation of Ruff Day Vet + Pet Gym. This allowed her to observe patient/owner/provider interactions in an environment and structure that is very near the polar opposite of a traditional veterinary clinic setting, and to ask “why do patients do better in their homes for acupuncture, and how can I replicate the comfort of home in an outside facility dedicated to healing?” 

Ultimately house calls did not prove to be a sustainable practice to pursue, and Adam joined Heather to help open a physical office and to build Ruff Day’s business systems. 

Ruff Day Vet + Pet Gym opened in January, 2021, right at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this highly disruptive environment, we could have easily been put out of business before we really even got started, but we learned quickly how to keep pets, people and staff safe while simultaneously providing high quality physical medicine therapies combined with superb client communication. Because we were dedicated to building a culture unlike anything Dr. Heather has ever known in the veterinary industry, and we were building in a time of such great cultural, economic, and social disruption, we were able to build more freely and creatively. We had the opportunity to build our office space and craft our appointment structures and pricing structures without worrying about doing it the conventional way.

“Business as usual” was a thing of the past in the veterinary industry, and we embraced this, excited by the opportunities that this disruption could bring to an industry that was and remains, in so many ways, broken. 

What is it, exactly, that we strive to do differently? It’s simple, really. We take the time necessary to build trusting relationships with owners, and to explain their pet’s condition(s) in a way that is accessible, understandable and actionable. We firmly believe that pet owners have the right to be informed on all aspects of their pet’s health, and we enable them to make intelligent decisions with their trusted veterinary team that positively impacts their pet’s healthspan, and their own human-animal bond. This gives our clients the tools they need to take a greater level of control over their pets’ medical care, environment, lifestyle, and overall health, all with the guidance of experts in the field of pet healthspan optimization. 

We also practice positive-reinforcement techniques in all of our patient treatments, which encourages the pet patient to be an active and willing participant in their own care. When the patient knows they are always allowed to say “no,” it’s fun to watch them start to say “yes, please!” to more and more of our requests over time. Some owners report an improvement in the quality of time spent together with pets, and it is rewarding to see humans and animals spend more time in play, connection, and in a shared state of flow.

Moving forward as we continue to grow our Ruff Day community, we recognize the importance of taking action on the most pressing issues of today that we feel everyone should take seriously, if only for their own self-preservation.

The economy, the environment, social justice, and community well-being all must be actively attended to if we are to provide future generations with a world worthy of inheritance. You will see us continue to grow our knowledge and capabilities, learn valuable lessons from mistakes, incorporate feedback into improvements and share our fixes, and seek opportunities to help our community’s stakeholders in their collaborative efforts. 

Thank you for joining us in our efforts to create something a little different - we would never have made it this far without the loving support of our community. We hope you’ll find Ruff Day Vet to be as special as we do!