NEW SCOTLAND — The Village Animal Clinic has hired a new veterinarian to handle its growing practice.

Kate Storey, DVM joined the practice in June. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, and from Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine with a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 2019, with a background in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of species.

“Most important, she has the high standards for providing optimal care with compassion that are hallmarks of our practice,” said Holly Cheever, DVM, the clinic’s founder, in a release from the clinic. “She finds the study of animal behavior and the specialized care required for exotic animals to be among her areas of greatest interest.”

Storey grew up in Simsbury, Connecticut with a range of species of family pets from the traditional to the unusual: She and her sister cared for “exotics” such as hermit crabs and frogs, and also for furry “pocket pets” including hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs.

Storey was drawn to this area by her past seven summers of working for Little Brook Farm in Chatham, which cares for horses with histories of abandonment and abuse, and also offers educational programs to local school children about kindness, proper animal care, and responsibility.

“Dr. Storey taught many of the classes offered to the enthusiastic students, and since the Village Animal Clinic has served since its inception as an educational opportunity for many audiences (elementary through high school students, pre-veterinary students seeking mentors, Girl Scout groups, library summer programs, etc.,),” Cheever said in the release, “we look forward to Dr. Storey’s assisting the Clinic in its mentoring activities.”