10-27-2022 Howard Mag - Flipbook - Page 52
Best of Howard
HEALTH & WELLNESS
BEST VETERINARY PRACTICE
Countryside Veterinary Clinic
Dr. Mary Beth Soverns,
co-owner of Countryside
Veterinary Clinic, is
pictured with Australian
shepherd Kiwi, left, and
Norwich terrier Finn in
one of the exam rooms.
PHOTO BY
BARBARA HADDOCK
TAYLOR
52
4866 Montgomery Road, Ellicott City. 410-657-8024. countrysideveterinaryclinic.org
Dr. Mary Beth Soverns knew she wanted to be a
veterinarian even at 2 years old. Another career path
was never an option.
“You can save an animal’s life,” Soverns said, and
bring a family joy. “You kind of grow more empathy
than you even start with.”
Soverns and her husband, Dr. Carroll Thumel,
opened Countryside Veterinary Clinic in Ellicott
City in 1988, two years after the couple graduated
from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of
Veterinary Medicine. Their practice grew quickly,
and in 2008, they built their own free-standing
clinic. Now, two of their three children, Dr. Heath
Thumel and Dr. Julie Thumel, are among their veterinarians.
| Fall 2022 | howardmagazine.com
Longtime clients know that the owners and their
children have a special fondness for Australian shepherds and Norwich terriers. Soverns and Thumel
have a 14-year-old Norwich terrier named Forrest
and when the entire animal-loving family gathers,
so do all six of their dogs.
The clinic serves a variety of animals, including
unusual pets like chinchillas and rats. “You can’t
ignore those. That belongs to some 8-year-old girl,”
Soverns said, adding that flexibility and friendly staff
make the clinic special. Their veterinarians perform
some surgeries that other animal hospitals don’t, and
when more people adopted pets at the beginning of
the pandemic, Countryside added extra hours to
accommodate clients.