No one can deny that Dr. Christy Layton is popular. Just ask her many four-legged friends.
The Plant City veterinarian, who owns Timberlane Pet Hospital and Resort, was recently nominated to be America’s Favorite Veterinarian by her practice manager, Adrienne Swisher, and head veterinary technician, David Goodyear. Out of 500 veterinarians nominated for the American Veterinary Medical Foundation’s contest, Layton made it to the top 20 and is currently ranked in sixth place. Voting will go on until September 1.
She was told about the nomination after making it to the round of finalists last month.
“I was excited about that, but I’d love to win,” Layton said.
Although this is the first year the Plant City resident was nominated, those who know the animal advocate well aren’t surprised that Layton has climbed the ranks in the competition. Besides owning her own practice, Layton serves on the boards for the Hillsborough Animal Health Foundation and the Hillsborough County Veterinary Medical Society, and serves as County Commissioner Al Higginbotham’s representative for the Hillsborough County Animal Advisory Committee. Layton is also the chairman of the Florida Veterinary Medical Association’s Animal Welfare Committee.
She is hopeful that becoming America’s Favorite Veterinarian would allow her to make a difference at the national level.
“Having that additional title would give me even more of a stage to express my concerns with animal welfare,” she said. “I think the title I could do a lot with.”
Layton has between 1,000 and 1,500 clients between her veterinary practice, grooming service and resort. She opened her practice in 2006 and hired Dr. Stephanie Trotter as her full-time associate. Now a staple in Hillsborough County, Layton received her calling to be an animal advocate at an early age.
“I’ve always loved animals,” she said.
When Layton was 13, she was racing her horse, Miami, against her friend. While riding alongside the railroad tracks on County Road 39, Miami’s bit broke. When the horse turned on the road, Miami, fell on the tracks, and Layton went down with her.
Layton needed stitches, and Miami had a hematoma that the vet said would take about a month to heal. Wanting to take care of her pet herself, Layton offered to clean the horse’s wounds and brought her back to the vet’s frequently for check-ups. The vet was so impressed with Layton’s care that she offered Layton a job working in the kennel. She’s been working with animals ever since.
“I never really thought there was any other option for me,” she said.
Layton graduated from the University of Florida in 2001 and worked at Noah’s Ark Animal Hospital in Valrico before returning to her hometown to open her practice.
Her love for animals goes far beyond the clinic’s doors.
ANIMAL ADVOCACY
Layton likes to educates pet owners who come to her practice on animal welfare and pet overpopulation.
“Shelters are having to euthanize way too many animals every year,” Layton said. “[We need] to spay and neuter as many as possible.”
Layton is a strong advocate for finding rescue groups that will pull animals from the shelter to find them a forever home.
“To adopt an animal from us, you may as well be adopting a child,” she said.
Layton believes that one goal for animal welfare is to focus less on the number of animals that find homes and more on making sure the animals are sent to a home that will care for them and treat them as part of the family.
“Most of the dogs I own have come from my street,” she said.
Three out of the four, to be exact. Layton is the proud mommy to what some mistakenly consider “bad breeds.” She has two pit bulls, one rottweiler and one American bulldog.
For Layton, it’s all about the proper education. In order to decrease the number of animals that turn up in shelters, animals need to be spayed and neutered so that they don’t have extra litters.
“We haven’t done enough education on being a responsible pet owner,” she said. “Responsible pet ownership includes spay and neuter. Pit bulls get a bad rep because there’s so many of them. It’s how you handle them and how you perceive them.”
In addition to spaying and neutering, Layton’s guide to responsible pet ownership includes treating pets like family and allowing them into an owner’s home. It’s also important to make sure that that the animals receive plenty of water and quality food. According to Layton, the most expensive food isn’t always the one that is best for a pet.
She also believes that it’s necessary for pets to be at a healthy weight and to have preventative health care.
“My clients that do preventative health care … we can keep them alive longer,” she said.
Layton and her staff work diligently to educate both their clients and the community.
“The entire staff is very close,” she said. “We do a lot in the community together.”
The staff participates in Relay for Life, and also puts on “Fashion, Feathers and Fur,” an event that raised over $30,000 last year. The funds are donated to local animal shelters. Layton has also helped to start Vets for Pets, a facility in Tampa that caters to low-income pet owners who have difficulty caring for their animal’s expenses.
“That facility is really what I feel like we should do in the entire community,” she said.
TO VOTE
Voting will be held through Sept. 1, and the winner will be announced Sept. 2.
VISIT: To vote, go to Timberlanevet.com/afv/ and follow the link to the voting page.
RULES: Voting may be done multiple times, but only once per day. A first and last name, and a valid email address is required to vote.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com