Dr. Lynn Willard, Associate Veterinarian graduated from Kansas State University in 1969. A native of Kansas, Dr. Willard has lived in Ruidoso, NM, since 1973 when he opened the Ruidoso Animal Clinic.

 

 

After graduation, he served as the Base Veterinarian at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM, for two years. Then he furthered his practice skills in Roswell, NM, before moving to Ruidoso. He sold the Ruidoso Animal Clinic in December 2010 to Dr. Amanda Favis.  He continues to work as an Associate Veterinarian three day per week performing orthopedic surgeries and seeing his former patients and clients.

Over the past 36 years, Dr. Willard has furthered his training at the Animal Medical Center in New York City in ultrasonography and has attended many advanced training seminars in orthopedic surgery, oncology, practice management and internal medicine. Although New Mexico laws require 15 hours of Continuing Education each year, Dr. Willard attends over 80 hours of intense training yearly. The advanced training has allowed Dr. Willard to receive the Excel Certificate awarded by the American Animal Hospital Association. Dr. Willard enjoys all species of animals in his practice and is particularly interested in reproductive medicine, orthopedic surgery, internal medicine and ultrasonography.  Dr. Willard has spent many years in public service in Ruidoso by serving as a member of the Ruidoso School Board for 10 years and President of the Board for 2 years. He has served as President of the Ruidoso Chamber of Commerce, the Ruidoso Evening Lions Club, the Ruidoso Rotary Club, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Lincoln County. He has coached many youth football and basketball teams and is currently most proud of his association with his little brother, Erasmo, of the Big Brothers program. Dr. Willard enjoys active sports basketball, softball, and racquetball. He is married to Donna Willard, a former Ruidoso High School teacher, and has three grown children.

Dr. Melissa Smith, Associate Veterinarian, grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh. She moved to northern NM in 1996 where she fell in love with the landscape and life in New Mexico and never returned back east. She worked with programs helping at-risk youth for several years in the Santa Fe area and then moved to Albuquerque where she worked at the UNM School of Medicine on many human health research projects for several more years.

Finally deciding to pursue veterinary medicine, she moved to Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins. It was also through CSU and the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association where she completed additional training in veterinary medical acupuncture.She has also sought additional training in canine rehabilitation from the University of Tennessee.

She enjoys spending her down time in the outdoors hiking, camping and canoeing with her fiancé Ray and her furry companions Sage and Chloe (pictured); their furry cat companions stay at home for such adventures.