While we await who will be “top dog” at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show this year, Dr. Joseph Rossi of Landsdale, Pennsylvania has already won a top honor. He was recently named the The Westminster Kennel Club (WKC) Veterinarian of the Year. The award is in partnership with Trupanion. The two organizations have launched this new online award that recognizes and celebrates veterinarians who make a difference in our pets’ lives.
Dr. Rossi has gone above and beyond caring for the animals of his community and fostering the talent behind the best-in-class service at North Penn Animal Hospital since opening the facility in 1996. Westminster is donating $10,000 in the name of Dr. Rossi to MightyVet, a non- profit, industry-wide online platform founded to support veterinarians, students, and vet techs tackling mental well-being issues and continuing education in the veterinary profession.
Dr. Rossi knew he wanted to become a veterinarian since he was in the second grade when he assisted in raising orphaned robins. Since then, he has always been available when animals were in need. He completed his undergraduate studies at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and received his veterinary degree in 1987 from Ross University. He finished his studies with an externship at Rochester Equine Clinic and started his career as a large animal veterinarian focusing on surgery and reproduction. Today his interests include all aspects of surgery, both orthopedic and soft tissue, reproduction, and dentistry on small animals. Since 2009, he has been using stem cell therapy to treat osteoarthritis and, recently, inflammatory bowel disease.
This dedicated veterinarian credits his wife, Jill, and their three children for allowing his profession to become their lives. They presently have seven dogs, five cats, donkeys, horses, Scottish Highland Cattle, and some rescued chickens.
The Westminster Kennel Club continues its tradition of prioritizing the veterinary community and canine health through the Veterinarian of the Year Award. In 1987 the Club began its WKC Veterinary Scholarship program, an initiative that has offered scholarships to students totaling over $4.8 million to date. Trupanion’s mission is to help devoted, responsible pet owners budget and care for their pets for life. Trupanion’s tremendous support for the veterinary community through the founding of Veterinary Appreciation Day™, TruCuddle™, and involvement with non-profit organizations to give back to the veterinary community is a natural match for Westminster’s long history of giving back through veterinary scholarships. Together, the Westminster Kennel Club and Trupanion would like to use this award to create awareness for the mental well- being support needed by these passionate professionals and their teams.
Regional finalists include Dr. Ryan Carpenter of Grand Rapids, MI, Dr. Cindy Smith of Lakewood, WA, and Dr. Brian Jones of Oklahoma City, OK. Videos of the regional finalists were shared across Westminster’s social media platforms. The winner received the most cumulative likes/favorites across platforms.
