Helping Patients.
Building Trust.
Love is patient. Kind. Humble. Not envious or self-seeking. Honoring others instead of keeping score of wrongs- focusing instead on gratitude. Love delights in truth, even when it’s hard, but always with kindness. Protect one another, build trust, and show grace when times get tough.
It requires trust, clear communication, and humility. We set others up for success by following through and following up. We embrace accountability to ensure the team’s success. Criticism is given kindly and received humbly. We work and play together—us, patient, and client. With a long-term vision, we focus on the present. Build up the individual. Build up the team.
We care deeply for our patients, clients, and each other. We listen, explain, and find joy in educating. We discuss care options and meet clients where they are. We celebrate successes, navigate challenges, and honor the patient-client bond- recognizing pets as part of a family. From new beginnings to end-of-life care, we decide together.
We strive to learn- old ways, new ways, and better ways. We focus on details without neglecting the big picture. We stay passionate about educating ourselves and our clients, applying what we learn diligently. Perfect practice makes perfect. We value second opinions as learning opportunities and embrace that we don’t know everything. We uphold standards of care while creating space for thoughtful problem-solving.
We are grateful for our community and support it by shopping locally, investing in schools and ministries, and partnering with nonprofits and wildlife organizations. We love connecting with clients around town and believe Northwest Georgia is a wonderful place to live, work, and play!
Proudly Serving Our Community
We understand that cats and dogs play an important role in the lives of many people. We are here to keep them healthy and nurture the human/animal bond.
We highly value loving individuals, unity as a team, genuine discussions with our clients, intelligent professional care for our patients, and we are proud of our community.
Through our story and our values, we strive to honor the legacy of LaFayette Animal Clinic by telling our clients “We want to take a long walk with you and your pet…together!”
LaFayette Animal Clinic started in a truck in 1970 as a large animal ambulatory practice under the ownership of Dr. L. R. “Rusty” Smitherman. A man known for his compassion, honesty, and faith, Dr. Smitherman bought the building the next year and diligently ran the practice for 50 years.
Over the years the practice gradually shifted into a small animal clinic. He temporarily closed the clinic due to the pandemic in 2020. (Do the math, that is half a century!) During the closure, he decided he was ready to sell the practice.
Dr. Jeremy Collins purchased the clinic in October 2020. Along with a small and mighty staff, he had LAC re-opened and ready for business again just before Christmas that same year.
Since then, Dr. Collins and his staff have enjoyed meeting many old clients and new clients alike. Many of our clients are “second generation” clients. Hearing a client say “I used to come here with my dad when I was just a little kid” is not unusual.
We have updated several facets of the clinic over the years. Our clinic features clean exam rooms, digital radiography, basic ultrasonography, a surgery room with anesthesia monitoring equipment, in-house laboratory, an isolation unit, and a kennel area. We offer general surgery, dentistry, preventative care, treatment of sick patients, and much more.
We give you all the knowledge to make an educated decision about the healthcare of your pet. We will never pressure you on the healthcare choices you make for your companion. Schedule today and take charge of your pet’s health!