Owner and Owner
Dr. Bob Parrish, the owner and creator of Carolina Value Pet Care, has been actively involved in veterinary medicine for nearly 40 years. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Dr Bob never learned to play a guitar or sing country songs the way Hank Williams, Jr or Johnny Cash could (although he did meet Johnny Cash when he was in Boy Scouts !). But he was always surrounded by pets growing up, so he wisely turned all his attention towards animals. His father had a fondness for Welsh Corgis (this was back in the late 1960′s before anyone had a clue what a Corgi was) and Collies (must have been the “Lassie” influence), so there was never a shortage of fur around the house. And, of course, there were always some cats hanging around, especially a big ol’ orange tabby named Buttercoon that remains his favorite cat. But Dr Bob’s dad wasn’t a fan of cats, so they had to stay outside … except when dad was at work. (Probably just as well that Dr Bob never learned how to play guitar – it’s just too darn hard to write a good country song about Corgis, Collies and cats !)
Dr Bob began working at Claughton Animal Hospital in Nashville while in high school. He became an expert at bathing pets, cleaning runs & kennels, and helping hold pets for the veterinarians. And the first time he ever witnessed surgery at the vet clinic, he saw some blood and promptly passed out cold, banging his head against a wall, which partly explains his lack of any fashion sense. In spite of this set-back, he overcame the queasiness of seeing blood and ultimately graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 1982 (Holy smokes — 1982 ? Are you kidding me? Wasn’t the Earth still cooling back in ’82 ???).
Dr. Bob owned and operated a very successful companion animal/household pet practice in Concord for nearly 20 years, then realized that he was spending far too much time running a business and far too little time being a veterinarian. So he cheerfully sold his practice in 2002. He then spent another 10 years traveling throughout North Carolina providing veterinary relief services (working for and filling in for other vets when they would go on vacation or to meetings, etc). After practicing and providing preventive medicine & care, diagnostic services & treatment, and surgical skills for 30 years, Dr Bob made a commitment in the summer of 2012 to provide affordable basic veterinary health care to all pet owners. And with the help of many like-minded individuals, Carolina Value Pet Care became a dream come true in October 2012.
