From a small, after-hours emergency clinic to a fully staffed, specialty veterinary hospital group with ‘round-the-clock emergency care, AERA has come a long way. In 1977, a dedicated and visionary group of veterinarians founded the Animal Emergency Group, a center designed to treat after-hours veterinary emergencies by creating a fully-staffed animal emergency medical facility. These doctors realized that rapid growth of the local pet population, along with broad technological advances in veterinary medicine, demanded a state-of-the-art facility to address the urgent and critical needs of beloved pets in their community. The Animal Emergency Group thus became one of the first hospitals dedicated to small animal emergency care in the United States. In order to provide a wider array of services, Animal Emergency Group (later known as Animal Emergency & Referral Associates) expanded in the mid-nineties to add several veterinary specialties, each offering exceptional care to our local pet community.