Watch the full Shared Table episode with Dr. Molly Brinkmann here.
Today’s pet parent is demanding – and they should be. They’re more informed, they want convenience and the same personalization they get everywhere else in their life. The question for our industry is simple – How does animal health meet that pet owner?
That question brought me to Dr. Molly Brinkmann – known to 600,000 followers as @DrMollySays – for our latest Shared Table conversation. Dr. Molly has spent 11 years in practice and years listening to pet owners on social media. Now she’s putting everything she’s learned into brick and mortar: The Local Vets, her own practice in Franklin, Tennessee, designed from the ground up around transparency, trust and community.
Nothing to Hide: Transparency Built into the Walls
Dr. Molly tried to buy a practice. It didn’t work out, so she built one instead. Every design choice in her clinic is intentional – no receptionist loudly talking on the phone, low-stress alternative entry points for anxious pets and windows on exam doors. The boldest choice? A waiting-room window that looks straight into the surgery suite.
“A lot of issues between vet staff and pet owners are that pet owners don’t really understand what we’re doing and why. They don’t see it.”
That same thought shows up in her membership program, “The Neighborhood.” One of the biggest friction points for families isn’t lack of caring for their pets – it’s a perceived cost barrier. “People have this concept it’s going to be $400 to walk through the door.” Her flat annual membership fee covers exams, so walking in costs nothing. Small touches – a membership card, a photo member wall, birthday surprises – turn a transaction into meaningful interactions.
Best Quote: “I never want having a pet to be a privilege or a luxury… everyone should be able to have a pet.”
The Pendulum Swing: Corporate and Independent Practices
Dr. Molly sees the veterinary space evolving. Consolidation helped elevate standards across the profession – improving competitive pay for clinic staff and expanding advanced diagnostic tools. At the same time, this evolution has opened space for independent practices to emerge alongside larger networks, creating diverse models that meet different pet parent needs.
“I think corporate medicine elevated veterinary medicine in general,” said Dr. Molly. “Mom and pop practices had this pressure to compete for staff so pay their staff better. I think that was long overdue.”
Now she sees the lesson flowing the other way. As more vets open practices on their own terms, she believes larger networks are taking notice. “I think corporate is learning or seeing, okay, wait, that’s going to succeed, or that is succeeding,” she said. “I think now they’re going to learn from us again and maybe adjust.”
Bad Information Meets Its Match
@DrMollySays started to counter bad information online, then found an audience after a video of her imitating dog breeds as people went viral. What surprised her wasn’t the reach – it was the impact. Pet parents told her that a post on @DrMollySays gave them the courage to finally do the dental work their dog needed, something they’d been too scared to schedule until they understood it.
Visits are Down. Expectations are Up.
Vet visits have slipped across the industry, but Dr. Molly doesn’t read that as pet parents caring less. They’re used to getting answers quickly and on their own terms, and many arrive at the exam room already informed. She doesn’t see that as a threat.
“Pet owners are going to get an education on the internet whether veterinarians want them to or not,” she said. “We should embrace that and be a part of the conversation.” What they can’t get is the relationship. “People want that personal interaction and touch.” Pet parents may be visiting differently, but they still want a vet who explains, listens and meets them where they are.
Big Takeaway: Meeting the modern pet parent isn’t going to come from doing the same things slightly better. It’s going to take ideas like Dr. Molly’s — a clinic built from scratch around transparency, access and trust. The industry’s next winners will be the ones willing to rethink the model, not just refine it.
Thank you, Dr. Molly, for opening your doors – literally – and for showing this industry what it looks like to build trust one table at a time.