Dr. Ken Schoolmeester
I couldn’t decide on a major, so it chose me. I began my veterinary journey in a tiny drug store during my early college days. While I was pricing jar after jar with a ticket gun, a black dog walked up and licked my face. I couldn’t believe that a dog was inside the store. I rushed to follow it as it rounded the aisle; however, it seemed to have disappeared. I looked all over the store and even went outside, but no one had seen the dog. Yes, this was the early 70s, and no, I hadn’t smoked anything funny before my shift. My mother had told me from the time that I was a small boy that I would be a veterinarian. It seemed like it was time to finally heed her advice and start the journey she had predicted.
After completing my veterinary degree at Ohio State, I moved to Greensboro. I found North Carolina to be a beautiful state with a wonderful climate. After a year of working my first job as a veterinarian, I decided it was time to open my own veterinary practice and fulfill my vision of what personalized veterinary care should be. Twenty-three successful years later, I sold my practice in Greensboro and moved to Charlotte to start a new personal life. I opened Mixed Pet Veterinary Hospital in early 2000. The journey has been gratifying and fulfilling beyond even what I had experienced in Greensboro. Yet, more than five decades after that day in the drug store, I look forward to going to work (I do not call it work – but my life’s passion). I have much fun with my staff as most of them are adept jokesters and keep the hospital lively. Yet, I am also impressed every day with their level of dedication and compassion toward our patients. Most importantly, it is rewarding to provide my clients and their pets with the highest level of medical and personalized care in the veterinary industry. At the end of each day, I look forward to working more on my passion again tomorrow.
I share my life with my wonderful and beautiful wife, Holly, who works behind the scenes. She has been crucial to the success of my veterinary career and, even more so, my happiness. We are both social creatures and like to experience all that Charlotte offers, from the arts, outdoor activities various cuisines, and restaurants. We also have a wanderlust for traveling to unique destinations near and far. However, we both appreciate our time at home with a glass of wine while cooking meals together. I have two boys from a previous marriage, and I am proud to say I am a happy grandfather to my beautiful granddaughter.
We have two cats at home. The extroverted, Marmalade wants to sit on every stranger’s lap. He expects to be pet and his head scratched during your entire visit. I am still trying to determine if he is the worst best cat or the best worst cat! Then there is the introverted Sterling, who is absolutely the sweetest, most delightful cat and only wants to be near Holly.
We also have one resident cat at Mixed Pet Vet. Stevie, our one-eyed cat, joined us several years ago. I like to say he is the most expensive, free pet ever. He came to us as a shy, feral, battered, and unlucky cat. We thought we would lose both eyes (which is why we initially named him Stevie Wonder). Yet, after several eye surgeries by an ophthalmologist specialist, they saved one eye. So now his nickname is Stevie (The Wonder Cat), and he couldn’t be more outgoing and comfortable around humans. You might see Stevie lying on the front desk, messing up charts or knocking paperclips off the counter.
