Dr. Vera Cares For Furry Friends At Happy Tails Veterinary Hospital

Traveling the globe and seeing firsthand the beauty in nature was all Vera Calpeno wanted to do after high school, so she joined the U.S. Navy hoping to branch out and see more than her hometowns in Oregon, New Jersey and Virginia.

“I was all excited because I thought I was going to live in another country,” Calpeno said. “And I got based in Fort Meade.”

After working at the National Security Agency, Calpeno moved to Georgia and was hired by Delta Airlines as a flight attendant. She also pursued courses at the University of Georgia toward achieving her dream of becoming a veterinarian. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, Calpeno took a leave of absence from flying and dedicated herself to earning her degree. “I like medicine; it’s very interesting to me, and I relate to animals and always have since I was a kid,” she said.

Calpeno opened Happy Tails Veterinary Hospital on March 10, 2014, just two days before her birthday. The chain of events that led to her opening the clinic at the Holmes Building, just across from the Lake Shore Volunteer Fire Company, was serendipitous if not simply meant to be.

Often passing by the property for three years while visiting friends, Calpeno was certain the location would be perfect for a vet clinic. Sadly for her, there were no vacancies. She continued to seek properly zoned sites throughout Anne Arundel County — in Arnold, Annapolis and Severna Park, and elsewhere in Pasadena. But she just couldn’t get the Holmes Building out of her mind.

“This is a good corner to have a clinic,” Calpeno explained. “There’s nothing out here serving all these families, and everybody has a pet.”

Once the owner of Teresa’s Family Affair Beauty Salon retired, the corner site at Mountain Road and Lake Shore Drive became available, and Calpeno seized her moment.

“I think that’s a really great place to step into — a business that retired and was successful in the community,” she detailed. “It was like it was just supposed to be this location.”

Serving the community has already been a focal point for Happy Tails Veterinary Hospital. Calpeno has sponsored and participated in an annual fishing trip in Annapolis hosted by Wounded Warrior Project, she’s donated to Lake Shore VFC, and she has become active in business networking throughout Pasadena. Calpeno would also like to become involved with local schools and teach students that they have the ability to become doctors. She already has one 10-year-old “intern” who shadows her weekly.

“Going and being part of the schools, to teach kids that they can do this, is so important,” Calpeno said. “It’s a way of giving back.”

Pets are a part of the family, and Calpeno understands how much pet owners care about their dog, cat or any other animal that could walk or crawl through the doors of Happy Tails Veterinary Hospital. Calpeno has learned that people simply want the same quality of health care for their pets as they would receive from a hospital. Luckily for all species, medical technology has rapidly advanced over the past 10 to 15 years, and Calpeno said she hopes she can keep her clientele informed of the most up-to-date options for keeping pets healthy.

Happy Tails Veterinary Hospital offers a complete range of services, including surgery, X-rays, ultrasounds, vaccination, laser therapy, an in-house lab and pharmacy, and emergency and dental services.

And if cost is an issue for pet owners, Happy Tails offers a wellness plan that allows clients to spread pet health care costs over a 12-month period.

“My goal in this clinic is to not be the most expensive clinic in town, to not be the least expensive clinic in town, but to offer the highest standard of medicine in town,” Calpeno stated.

Happy Tails Veterinary Hospital is located at 4499 Mountain Road in Pasadena. Hours are 8:30am-7:00pm Monday through Wednesday, 8:30am-7:00pm Friday and 8:00am-noon Saturday. For more information, call 410-437-7514 or visit www.happytailsvethospital.com.