Rita Peters, CVPM

As large corporations continue to buy up veterinary hospitals, those hospitals are losing their individual and local identities along with their ability to deliver a customized level of care. Under a corporate umbrella, hospitals have limited decision-making capability relating to how a hospital operates. And with a longer chain of command, a lengthy approval process is inevitable. That means a good idea, a course correction, or the adoption of new equipment, technology, or “best practices” can take a long time to implement.

Rita is committed to charting a different course – one that has some of the economic reach of corporate with all the flexibility and sensibility of “independent and locally-owned.” SOVH is, and will remain, a privately-owned veterinary hospital with deep roots in both the local community/economy and the veterinary community at large. Rita and her husband are long-term residents of Oakville and have raised their family here.

Why SOVH? “I was the Hospital Director of a large, successful veterinary hospital in the GTA for 35 years and was poised to purchase that hospital when it was sold instead to a multi-national corporation. Despite the disappointment and challenges that were presented, I recognized an opportunity. SOVH is the realization of a new, shared vision: to elevate how veterinary medicine is delivered by providing individualized, modernized care in a beautiful new facility with a group of talented, like-minded, and dedicated team players who truly care about every pet.”

BUSINESS TRAINING
Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) and a graduate of Purdue University’s Veterinary Management Institute; Rita has an extensive background in science and business management; Fear Free® certified

KEY ROLES
Financial management and strategic planning

PASSIONS
Delivering the very best of what veterinary medicine has to offer at every level: a skilled and compassionate team focussed on patient-centered care along with the latest technology and best practices; downtime finds Rita following soccer and hockey (an avid fan) and traveling the world.

SUPERPOWERS
Our resident visionary with the wisdom of decades of experience in this field, an eye ever focused on the future, and a gift for creating a safe space that nurtures accountability, creativity, and excellence.

WHAT MAKES HER TICK?
Keeping her ear to the ground and doing a deep dive (conferences, podcasts, management boards, trade journals and so on) into the latest trends and who’s setting (and bucking) them and setting many herself. Rita is an idea person with an eye on the big picture and a drive to stay ahead of the curve, always with a view to optimizing patient care.

CAT PERSON OR DOG PERSON?
Both species have had a paw hold in Rita’s household and heart at one time or another. Where dogs are concerned, Rita is a dyed–in–the–wool terrier fan. And you can’t have just one. Border Terrier, Razzle, and Cairn Terrier, Tiggy, are always at her side – or in someone’s lap at one team meeting or another.