The westminster reeves club logo.
The westminster reeves club logo.

NOMINATIONS FOR 2026 VET OF THE YEAR ARE NOW OPEN

THE WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB PRESENTS

Veterinarian of the Year

ABOUT

The award

The Westminster Kennel Club continues its tradition of supporting the veterinary community with its Veterinarian of the Year Award presented by Purina Pro Plan Veterinary. The award recognizes veterinarians in the dog community and raises awareness of the mental health challenges within the veterinary community. In 2026, WKC will celebrate its 5th anniversary of the Veterinarian of the Year Award. To date, more than 1,000 nominations have been received over the past 4 years, with $40,000 donated to charities supporting veterinarians’ mental health. 

The call for nominations will be open from April 25 – May 21, 2026. From those nominations, four regional finalists will be selected by a committee of Westminster experts and previous award winners. Fan voting will then take place from June 7 – 10, 2026.

Westminster Kennel Club Veterinarian of the Year logo features a dog silhouette, large purple "W," and Purina Pro Plan Veterinary branding.

NOMINATE A VETERINARIAN

Veterinarians are among the most compassionate and trusted professionals in the world. They are unsung heroes who dedicate their lives to being patient advocates. Do you know a veterinarian who has made a difference and actively improves the lives of pets, and other veterinary professionals? Do they elevate the bar for best treatments, mentor the next generation of veterinary professionals, or pursue a passion to advance the profession? Help them get the recognition they deserve by submitting a nomination. 

Whether you are a dog owner or a member of the veterinary community, tell us in 200 words or less how a veterinarian that you know is making a difference. Four finalists will be selected from each region who best demonstrate how they have actively improved the lives of pets and owners, elevated the bar for best treatments, mentored the next generation of veterinary professionals, and pursued a passion for advancing the profession. Regional finalists will be the entrant from each region that best demonstrates that the veterinarian has actively improved the lives of pets and owners, elevated the bar for best treatments, mentored the next generation of veterinary professionals, and pursued a passion to advance the profession. View Rules and Regulations.

Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Support Mission logo with the text "Supporting Your Calling To Care" and website "ProPlanVetSupport.com" displayed below, celebrating the dedication of every Veterinarian of the Year.

ABOUT

The CHARITY RECIPIENT

Since its launch in 2024, the Pro Plan Veterinary Support Mission has provided more than $3.5 million in funding to organizations tackling challenges in the veterinary industry to help veterinarians thrive – personally and professionally, every single day. These challenges include mental health support for stress through a partnership with the Veterinary Hope Foundation; financial assistance when clients can’t afford life-saving care, supported through the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) REACH Program™ and Paisley Paws; and increasing access to expert care for challenging behavior cases, provided by Ease Pet Vet.

READ THEIR MISSION
MEET THE PAST WINNERS
A person smiles while cuddling with a large brown dog resting its head on their shoulder, embodying the compassion and dedication worthy of Veterinarian of the Year.
DR. SARA LYLE
Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Diggs, Westminster Kennel Club Vet of the Year, with a dog in his care.
DR. TREYTON DIGGS
AllStar Animal Clinic
Dr. Joseph Rossi
North Penn Animal Hospital
Dr. Marty Greer
Veterinary Village
"Dr. Waits is the epitome of veterinary excellence, consistently exceeding expectations. His tireless commitment to my dogs' well-being knows no bounds - early arrivals, late stays, and selfless Sunday and holiday devotion. With empathy and authenticity, he collaborates with me, valuing my insight as a dedicated owner. Through triumphs and tender farewells, Dr. Waits veterinary excellence stands unmatched."
"Dr. Tack has cared for all of our animals both dogs and cats. He has shown the utmost compassion for them and for us as pet parents especially when they were near the end of their time on this earth. We love him dearly. I travel over 30 minutes just to see him for our dog Tucker."
"My animals have been Dr. Walker's patients for 5+ years. Dr. Walker has always treated them with love and care. In 2021 she took seriously my concern that something was "not quite right" on a Saturday with a girl of mine who had undergone a recent surgery. She discovered an uncontrolled bleed and performed emergency surgery to save her life. After another surgery by a specialist, this little Norwich made a full recovery and now lives with Dr. Walker. Dr. Walker goes on an annual mission trip to provide free veterinary services to critically underserved areas in central America. She is a good person, a caring and dedicated vet, and now a friend."
"Since 1993 Meg has been dedicated to the research and education of heart diseases in dogs. As a second generation veterinarian (her father was a vet) she has always been kind, compassionate and dedicated to the animals she treats. Meg has been a lead researcher on grants, she has published numerous articles and continues to educate future veterinarians. Meg, who resides in PA, also works out of two specialty clinics in PA and NJ, as well as offering her services at several breed club health clinics during year. Meg's dedication to the welfare of animals goes above and beyond the normal expectations and it's always with a smile."
"Dr Shumacher has consistently showed up for us as patients and the community. She has done outreach to assist animals that need help but their owners need financial assistance. She will give us what we need. From having one of her own dogs donate blood for a transfusion, to allowing me to be present in my dogs emergency surgery since I was a nurse. Her level of compassion goes way above just being a veterinarian. She is worthy of this award."

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WKC SUPPORTS VETERINARIANS

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Sara K. Lyle, DVM, MS, PhD, DACT, is an accomplished theriogenologist, Associate Professor at Louisiana State University’s (LSU) School of Veterinary Medicine, published author, and passionate animal advocate. Following 10 years in private practice, Dr. Lyle joined LSU as a Clinical Instructor in 2002, transitioning into academia to inspire and train the next generation of veterinary professionals. With a dedicated focus on advancing reproductive health in animals, her work explores innovative reproductive management strategies, assisted reproductive technologies, and the immunological aspects of reproductive disorders. At LSU, her vision includes fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among veterinarians, clients, and patients to achieve shared goals of improving reproductive health outcomes. Currently, Dr. Lyle is President of the Theriogenology Foundation, the non-profit sister organization of the Society for Theriogenology and the American College of Theriogenologists.

Dr. Lyle’s impact extends beyond the classroom and clinic. She has served as a member of the Louisiana State Animal Response Team, helping to rescue and care for animals following hurricanes impacting south Louisiana. In addition, Dr. Lyle is an active member of professional societies, including the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Society for Theriogenology, the American College of Theriogenologists, and Phi Zeta, the veterinary honor society.

Dr. Treyton (Jai’) Diggs is a native of Boutte, Louisiana, but was reared in Miami and Miramar, Florida. He attended Hahnville High School while in Boutte and Miramar High School while in Miramar. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana in 2000. After receiving his B.S. from Nicholls, he pursued his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the historic Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama and was selected and voted by his peers to be the class president.

During his time as a student, he received the AKC CAR Scholarship twice and was awarded the Fort Dodge Best All Around Student Award during graduation. While in veterinary school, Dr. Diggs worked in the anatomy lab and the large animal clinic. After completing veterinary school in 2007, Dr. Diggs was chosen to participate in an internship for small animal medicine and surgery at California Animal Hospital Veterinary Specialty Group (Dr. Steve Ettinger and Associates) in Los Angeles, California. While interning, Dr. Diggs was extensively trained by top Board-Certified Veterinary Specialists in Small Animal Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Emergency and Critical Care, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Surgery, Dentistry, and Radiology. After completing his internship, Dr. Diggs returned home to Louisiana to the VCA Causeway Animal Hospital family. After working at VCA Causeway Animal Hospital for 4.5 years, he founded Allstar Animal Clinic in 2013, a clinic that has an interest in soft tissue and orthopedic surgery and canine reproduction since its inception.

In addition to dedicating his life to servicing and saving animals, Dr. Treyton Jai Diggs considers himself to be a “child of the village,” as he dedicates and volunteers numerous hours to “paying it forward” for a community that is “near and dear to his heart” and that was influential in shaping and molding his head, hand, and heart. Dr. Diggs was also instrumental in helping establish protocols for The Inner Pup of New Orleans, a low-cost Heartworm Initiative founded to educate pet owners and make heartworm prevention affordable to low-income families. Additionally, he volunteered veterinary services to the Pen Pals Program, the only prison based no kill animal shelter, where inmates care for and train dogs that are to be adopted at Jackson Correctional Institute in Jackson, Louisiana.

As a product of poverty and a single parent home, Dr. Diggs prides himself in mentoring the youth and cultivating young minds. Hence, he has consciously and subconsciously dedicated his time, effort, energy, passion, and compassion to changing the trajectory and landscape for students from all walks of life. To that end, Dr. Diggs has educated inner city youth about the profession of veterinary medicine, animal behavior and animal health care. This commitment and community outreach has inspired more than 30 students to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. His humanitarian thumbprint is also evident in his local community and hometown, as Dr. Diggs and his relatives spearheaded measures to ensure that the community was provided hot meals, cleaning supplies, and debris removal services during the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.

Equally important to share, Dr. Diggs is a Dog Fancier and Field Trial Judge. He has judged the AKC SPO National Championship, AKC Gundog Brace Championship, and the AKC SPO Two Couple Pack Championship. He has won the AKC SPO National Championship in 2015 13” Male Class (McDaniel’s Running Like Forest), trained and conditioned 12 Field Champions that he owned, and judged over 130 AKC licensed trials. Dr. Diggs has also served in various Dog Fancier and Field Trial leadership roles that are inclusive of, but not limited to, AKC SPO Championship President, AKC SPO Championship Treasurer, Southern States Beagle Gundog Association Field Trial Secretary, Deep South Gundog President, and President of Westbank Beagle Club.

Dr. Diggs has three lovely children, Treyton Diggs II, Milan Diggs, and Italia Diggs. When time permits, he coaches his children in sports, fishes, trains his beagles to compete in AKC sanctioned field trials, or simply rides into the sunset on his favorite horse, Joe.

Dr. Joseph Rossi completed his undergraduate studies at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pa. He received his Veterinary degree in 1987 from Ross University and completed his clinical studies at Oklahoma State University and Ontario Veterinary College. He finished his studies with an externship at Rochester Equine Clinic. Dr. Rossi started his career as a large animal Veterinarian in Northern Pennsylvania, focusing on Surgery and Reproduction. In 1990, he returned to the Delaware Valley area.

Dr. Rossi established North Penn Animal Hospital in 1996, dreaming of building a quality, caring family practice in Montgomery County. Since then, North Penn Animal Hospital has grown substantially because of its hiring strategy based on core values – kindness and compassion for clients and patients.

Dr. Rossi’s interests include all aspects of surgery, both orthopedic and soft tissue, reproduction, dentistry, and especially the needs and surgeries required for the brachycephalic breeds. He is looking forward to sharing his experience with all doctors in his practice to continue the legacy of being the caring difference in our community. He is excited to see North Penn Animal Hospital continue to grow by encouraging all his team members to live into NPAH’s mission statement: Giving our patients excellent medical care and treating them with dignity and compassion. Additionally, he is encouraged that with the next generation of his family joining the business, he will continue to provide a healthy and positive work environment for our staff, which results in giving our clients a quality of customer service that surpasses their expectations and ensures that they leave with a positive and caring experience after every visit. Dr. Rossi is excited about the future of Veterinary Medicine and the continual advancement of North Penn Animal Hospital’s team of veterinarians, able to give access to high-quality medicine to more of our community.

Source: https://npah.com/team/dr-joseph-rossi/

I received my Bachelor of Science in 1978 and my DVM in 1981 from Iowa State University in Ames Iowa. In 1982 I established the Brownsville Small Animal Clinic in Dr. Griffith’s practice building and in 1988, moved the practice to Lomira.

I have a special interest in Pediatrics and Reproduction. In 2002, I opened a Canine Semen Freezing Center, International Canine Semen Bank – Wisconsin (ICSB-WI/IL), and became Penn-Hip Certified.

On my first attempt at using extended semen, I bred the practice’s first litter of pups from frozen semen in 1998. The advent of in-house quantitative progesterone testing has made this process much more successful.

My husband, Dr. Daniel Griffiths, and I have two children, Katy, married to Tim, an entomology Ph.D. student at Purdue, and Karl, married to Kelly. In addition, we raise and show Pembroke Welsh Corgis and Danish Swedish Farmdogs. Our family has raised 5 puppies for Canine Companions for Independence, a service dog organization.

The practice has contributed to pharmaceutical and nutritional research as an investigator for Abbott Laboratory, Deprenyl Animal Health, Pfizer, Virbac, and Hill’s Pet Food Corporation. I have also been featured in articles in Veterinary Economics.

In 2005, I was appointed by Governor Jim Doyle to a position on the Veterinary Examining Board of the Department of Safety and Professional Services, where I served for 8 years.

In 2010, I graduated from Marquette Law School.

In 2014, I wrote Canine Reproduction and Neonatology, a 470-page book about everything reproduction which was the Winner of Dog Writers Association of America’s Dogwise Best Book Award.

In 2019 I became certified as a Fear Free professional. I recognized the benefit of including Fear Free practices to try to make your pet’s visit to us as relaxed as possible. While there are many Fear Free practices we use, one of them is offering treats like peanut butter and chicken baby food to give your pet a distraction while we do exams and testing to reduce anxiety and stress. We know that a Fear Free experience is a benefit to you, your pet, and also our staff.

In 2020, I wrote Your Pandemic Puppy, which explains how to raise a well-adjusted puppy during a pandemic.

I am active in the community as a member of the AVMA, NEWVMA, AAVSB, APDT, AAFP, SVME, The Society for Theriogenology, the Fond du Lac Kennel Club, The Kettle Moraine Kennel Club, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America, Lakeshore Pembroke Welsh Corgi Kennel Club, and the Lomira Area Chamber of Commerce.

I am on the Board of Directors for the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics, American Veterinary Medical Law Association, and the Society for Theriogenology. I served on the Animal Welfare Committee and Education Committee for the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association. I am also the Board Chair of the National Animal Interest Alliance.

I have recently started working with Revival Animal Health as their Director of Vet Services. I will be posting articles that will be exclusive to Revival Animal Health.

Source: https://www.smallanimalclinic.com/about-us/staff/veterinarians/dr-marty-greer