10/01/2026
Dear Dogwood Trails Family,
Two years ago today, I unlocked the doors of Dogwood Trails Animal Hospital for the very first time.
Around here, we don’t really call October 1st our anniversary - we call it Dogwood’s birthday. Because it wasn’t just the day a hospital opened. It was the day our Dogwood Trails family was born. 💙
Last year, I wrote about how surreal it was to go from just 50 appointments in our first month to more than 1,200 clients and 2,200 patients in our first year.
Today, that Dogwood family has grown to more than 2,800 active clients and 4,100 active patients. It’s hard to put into words how much it means that so many of you have trusted us with the pets you love.
Our team has grown, too. This year we welcomed three amazing doctors - Dr. Anne McAlister, Dr. Ellie Carlson, and Dr. Kennedy Garcia Cartagena - along with wonderful new team members including Kyla, Bella, Kenleigh, Kate, and Erika. They’ve helped us grow while still keeping Dogwood feeling like Dogwood.
We’ve packed a lot into Year Two. We walked in the Bentonville Christmas Parade, attended Pets Rule in Downtown Bentonville, continued our work with Bentonville Animal Services, and made plenty of memories together at escape rooms, our annual summer pool party, and other team outings.
And then there was Benny the Ceiling Cat - who spent THREE DAYS living in our drop ceiling and somehow required the combined efforts of our staff, firefighters, Animal Services, and professional animal trappers before we finally got him down. 😂 If anything bonded the Dogwood family this year, Benny certainly did.
Outside the hospital, my work with veterinary students has continued as well. In February, Lane and I traveled to Grenada to speak at St. George’s University, and I’ve since had the opportunity to speak at Iowa State and Virginia-Maryland, with North Carolina State coming up in two weeks. Sharing what I’ve learned about mentorship, leadership, ownership, and building Dogwood Trails has become one of my favorite parts of this journey.
Back home, we expanded our hours to 8am - 8pm, Monday through Saturday to offer more evening care, while continuing our $25 Last Tuesday exams as one small way we can make veterinary care more accessible to our community.
But when I look back at Year Two, I’m proudest not of how much we’ve grown, but who we’ve become.
Dogwood Trails truly is a family. We’ve worked incredibly hard, laughed until we’ve cried, supported each other through difficult days, celebrated together, and built a place I’m genuinely proud to walk into every morning.
To my incredible staff: thank you. This place would not exist as it does today without you.
To my husband and son: thank you for continuing to share me with this crazy dream and supporting every long day, late-night phone call, and “Okay, so I was thinking…” idea.
And to our community: thank you for loving Dogwood. Thank you for recommending us, encouraging us, trusting us with your pets, and allowing us to be part of your families. None of this would be possible without you.
So today, we’re celebrating a birthday the way you’re supposed to - with treats! 🥳 We have pup cups for our four-legged friends and cookies for their humans, so stop by and celebrate with us today!
Because October 1st will always be more than the day we opened a hospital.
It’s the birthday of our Dogwood family.
Happy 2nd Birthday, Dogwood Trails Animal Hospital! 🥳🐾💙💚
Two years down, and hopefully many, many more to go.
With love and endless appreciation,
Dr. Audra O’Keefe & the Dogwood Trails Team
