Our second full year as a hospital has come and gone quickly. We have been so blessed with another fantastic year. Sarah and I have dreamed we would be part of such a wonderful hospital but never really thought it could come true. It has! 2007 has brought many new employees and a mirid of new skills. We now have a reception staff of four and a technical staff that includes 3 registered technicians. We are proud to say Julie Digh is still with us and her grooming skills only improve. Our boarding and daycare has exploded due to some wonderful care givers that make sure noone has any issue while they are away from home. We have some great plans for this coming year. We are in the works to expand our facility to include the whole building. What this will allow us to do is improve our traffic flow and ease the coming and going of all our patients. The grooming facility will get a big facelift and the boarding will move to one unified location. This will allow us to control the areas better and separate out the animals by size, breed, and if needed temperament. The animals will be rewarded with less noise and bigger areas. Our new section will add additional space and increase our reception area. It will offer an entrance for boarding and grooming and a separate one for medicine and surgery. This will help for the busy drop off and pick up times. Our “open’ philosophy will continue into this expansion so you will still be able to watch and know what you baby does at all time. It will not change the patterns we have for our medical and surgical areas. We have seen the success of our online medical records expand. The relief it gives a parent to be able to check on their baby while boarding at anytime helps both parents and us. We have also had many technical upgrade in our medical equipment. We feel comfortable that we posses the best machines that are on the market today. Our family has grown with the practice. Emma Grace is in first grade at Torrence creek and is doing well. She now rock climbs, is a brownie, and takes swim lessons as she prepares for the summer. She works at the clinic Monday afternoons to gain experience and her paycheck. Jackson is in a four day program getting ready for the big move to kindergarten next year. He also is rock climbing and is a terror on two wheels. He lives for the trip to the dirt track to ride is bike. Ava has started preschool and is at least going. I Don’t think she will love it anytime soon but she gives it a good try. She has advanced to gymnastics and does love that day. We have had the opportunity to help the community here in huntersville. We sponsored the Goody Goes Global 5K for a local triathlete who was competing in France. We also sponsored the St. Marks Church, race for the faith. 2008 has us already marked as a major sponsor for a new kids Triathlon series. Sarah and I have both become addicted to triathlons this year. We had the chance to race in both sprint and Olympic distance races. 2008 will bring some bigger and longer challenge to our training and racing. I continue to be part of the Cabarrus humane society and spay/neuter clinic. Sarah and I are both extremely involved in our church and of course the kids. Sarah and I would like to thank all the clients that have given us the opportunity to serve them and feel tremendously blessed for what we do and where we are.

Mark and Sarah