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Welcome Waggin: Dedicated to being a welcome space for your animals!

Tue, May 24, 2022 3:43 PM | Deleted user

On May 7, Welcome Waggin’ Animal Hospital celebrated the grand opening of their new facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Ayden Chamber of Commerce.

While the building may be new, Welcome Waggin’ has been providing veterinarian services for 13 years. It all began with a mobile truck – the Welcome Waggin’.

“My daddy found it. It was an ambulance that he found in a salvage yard. He retrofitted it and put in cages and a countertop. He fixed it up so we could do surgeries in there,” said Welcome Waggin’ owner and veterinarian Martha Worthington.

“We did a lot of spay and neuters for rescues.”

Welcome Waggin’ began by making house calls in Ayden and surrounding areas. As Worthington garnered more patients, the “waggin’” became stationary sitting at her home with clients coming to her.

While Worthington was still able to meet the needs of all her patients, she desired for a bigger stationary space.

“I wanted to have separate spaces for dogs and cats, so that we could keep cats calm in the clinic. We have two cat exam rooms and two dog exam rooms. We don’t always manage to keep them separate, but we try to,” Worthington said.

“We also have an isolation suite now, so that I can isolate sick animals.”

The new facility also provides a safe space for cats, who are waiting to be adopted.

“The cat adoption room was very important,” Worthington said.

“If someone is interested in adopting a cat they can visit our Facebook or they can come in and visit.”

For the location, Worthington did not have to look far, as Welcome Waggin’ is now siting on her family farm.

“My family has been here for generations,” Worthington said.

“I like this area. I like the people here. We work with a lot of rescues, and I like to be close to the rescues. I like that it is rural, so I can serve more people that really need help.”

The clinic provides services to all animals including cats, dogs, birds, squirrels, chickens, exotic animals and more.  Worthington also provides services to wild animals in need of care and works with rescues to assist. Services include general wellness exams, vaccinations, spay and neuter, x-rays and some emergency services.

Quality care is guaranteed with Worthington’s passion for helping animals shinning through.

“I always wanted to be a veterinarian. I never considered anything else. I don’t know why,” Worthington said.

Her determination to providing quality care at an affordable rate is what inspired Worthington to start Welcome Waggin’ in the first place.

“I worked at another practice, and I learned a lot there, but I couldn’t make my own decisions. Especially on how to treat animals. There were people who did not have the funding to take care of their animals. I didn’t have the option to give them a discount to help them,” Worthington said.

“Now that I’m here, I can help in those situations more. I can set my own policies. I just feel more useful when I can make my own policies.”

Through the years, Worthington has worked with multiple rescue organizations. She desires to continue to provide services and assistance with these organizations.

“I always loved rescuing cats. I love working with the rescue groups,” Worthington said.

Worthington desires to provide the best care possible for all her clients and hopes to be able to offer more services in the future.

“Possibly boarding or grooming or becoming a 24-clinic,” Worthington said, adding she would like to eventually hire another veterinarian.

“We designed the building with the intention of being able to expand later.”

She also plans to convert the “waggin” which currently sits stationary into a mobile vaccine station, she said.

Welcome Waggin’ is located at 949 Old Snow Hill Road. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call 252-565-3291. 

Article Credit: Donna Williams




Ayden Chamber of CommerceALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Address: 528 E. Third Street, Ayden NC 28513

252-746-2266 , Chamber@ayden.com

Ayden Chamber of Commerce, Inc.

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