Noozhawk is excited to welcome back our annual Four-Legged Friends and More special section for 2026 — a celebration of the pets who fill our homes and hearts with love, loyalty, and endless joy.
From wagging tails and gentle purrs to feathered and scaled companions, this section shines a spotlight on the special bond between people and their pets.
Filled with helpful resources and inspiring local stories, this year’s edition features the trusted businesses, organizations, and animal care professionals dedicated to supporting pet health and happiness throughout Santa Barbara County.
Whether it’s veterinary care, grooming, boarding, training, or pet-friendly services, readers will discover valuable resources for every stage of their pet’s life.
As part of this special section, Noozhawk spoke with Hilary Quinn of Wilder Animal Hospital about the practice’s personalized approach to veterinary medicine, its wide range of services, and its commitment to keeping Santa Barbara County pets healthy and happy.
Wilder Animal Hospital
Question: What is the name of your business or practice?
Answer: Wilder Animal Hospital
Q: What is the mission behind your business?
A: Our mission is to provide compassionate, individualized, and premier-quality medical and surgical care for our community’s pets. We are committed to not only supporting the bond between pets and their families, but also creating a warm and supportive work environment in which to learn, grow, and thrive.
Q: What types of animals does your business cater to?
A: Dogs, cats, and the occasional “other”.
Q: Can you describe the services or products your business offers?
A: We provide primary veterinary care, as well as walk-in urgent care, and emergency services. Our preventative services include wellness exams, vaccinations, spay and neuter surgeries, dental cleanings and parasite prevention. We also wear many other hats, and are a one-stop-shop for internal medicine, dermatology, general and emergency surgery, behavior consultations dental extractions, and hospice services.
We have both internal medicine and cardiologists who come to our hospital for advanced ultrasounds and consultation. When referrals to other specialists are needed, we help coordinate to get our patients expedited care at nearby specialty hospitals.
Q: How long have you been in this industry?
A: Between all the doctors at our hospital, we have a combined 50+ years of experience.
Q: What makes your business or practice unique?
A: We are a privately-owned practice, owned and operated by real humans that live right here in Santa Barbara and Goleta. We are not corporate, we are not one-size-fits-all, and we have no agenda to sell any product to our clients. We are here to provide the best advice and veterinary care that we can, simply because we love animals and we can’t imagine doing anything else.
Q: What training, education and experience do you and your staff have? Do you hold any professional certifications?
A: Our doctors are all graduates of accredited veterinary schools and licensed to practice medicine in California. Dr. Peterson is certified in veterinary acupuncture. Our doctors have taken additional coursework to become skilled at dental surgery, ultrasound, and other procedures. Our registered veterinary technicians (RVTs) have taken extensive additional schooling to become credentialed technicians.
Q: What is your level of expertise regarding pet health and behavior?
A: We are very knowledgeable about behavioral issues in dogs and cats. This includes aggressive or fearful behavior, urine marking, separation anxiety, and general anxiety.
Q: How do you manage behavioral problems?
A: We create an individualized plan which includes working with a trainer, employing positive reinforcement techniques, as well as prescribing medications and supplements when necessary.
Q: Do you work with all breeds / age groups?
A: Yes.
Q: What do you do if a pet is aggressive towards you, your staff, or other animals?
A: In the veterinary setting, we strive to ensure that the experience at our clinic is always positive for both pets and their humans. If this is not possible, we will often prescribe medications to give prior to the appointment, which help relax the dog or cat and make for a more smooth experience. This helps reduce aggression and also keeps our staff safe.
Q: What advice would you give to a new pet owner?
A: Our advice to a new pet owner is to establish a relationship with your veterinarian early. This allows us to perform a wellness physical exam and make sure your pet doesn’t have any hidden health problems, but also builds positive experiences for your pet so coming to the vet isn’t always a scary visit.
Q: Are you currently accepting new clients?
A: Yes! We are accepting new clients.
Q: What kinds of challenges have you faced within the pet care industry? How did you or your team manage them?
A: A major challenge we are currently facing is the the cost of veterinary care. We realize that veterinary care is not cheap, and we will always provide owners with financial estimates for services, as well as work with clients to find treatment plans that are personalized to their animal’s needs.
Q: How do you help make your client feel at ease leaving their pet in your care?
A: We hope that our warm and loving approach with pets in the exam room will assure clients that their beloved pets are in good hands. When we have dogs and cats in our hospital for surgery, dentals, hospitalization or short procedures, we attempt to make their time with us as positive as possible. This means cozy beds and warm towels, gentle music, fresh water and yummy treats and food when applicable.
Q: How do you keep the public informed about your business or service(s)?
A: Most of our new clients come to us via word-of-mouth. A positive report from a friend or neighbor is our best advertising – and we love seeing our clients and patients out and about in the real world.
Q: What is the typical cost of your service(s) or product(s)? Do you offer any payment plans or discounts?
A: We offer Care Credit and Scratch Pay to help people pay for services.
Q: What are your hours of operation?
A: Mon-Friday, 8am-7pm.
Q: What is one fun fact about your business?
A: One fun fact about our business is that we love to have fun together both inside and outside of the clinic setting. We love to have “dip days” at work where everyone brings their favorite dip to share at lunch. Outside the hospital, we have hosted high tea, polo matches, book clubs, and candle-making events together.
Q: Is there anything you would like to tell our readers that was not mentioned above?
A: I think it’s always a good reminder to be nice to your local veterinary team. We do this for the love of it, and we always do the best we can to attend to the needs of every client and patient. It can be tough in our field, and as much as we love to support our community, we love it when our community supports us back.
Click here to learn more about Wilder Animal Hospital!