For the past few months Dr. Mark French has been doing a lot of smiling. The Farmville veterinarian, the only doctor on staff at the Ridge Animal Hospital after the death of Dr. Erica Geary last year, recently added Dr. Andrea Kellum and Dr. Jessica Shepherd to the practice.

“From April 1 to November, I was the only one working here,” French said.

Geary, who joined the practice in June 2014, was killed in a tragic accident while traveling to Maryland to visit her family for the Easter holiday last year.

“I have no idea how I did it,” French said of the months he handled the practice on his own.

The Farmville veterinarian appreciates the concern and understanding of clients during that time.

“Our clients were very supportive,” he said. “It meant a lot.”

Ridge Animal Hospital, opened by Dr. James Gates over 30 years ago, has evolved into an extremely busy practice in Farmville. When French joined the practice in 1985, Gates and French formed a partnership that continued until Gates transferred his portion of the ownership in July 2013.

“I don’t know how Dr. French did it all by himself,” Kellum said of the months French handled the practice alone.

“I’m delighted,” French said of the new additions to the staff. “Jessica Shepherd is fresh out of school, and she brings fresh ideas.”

Shepherd, who graduated from Louisiana State University in May, joined the practice in November.

“I’m from the New Orleans area,” Shepherd said. “A friend of mine, an equine vet, had moved here. I really like the area — I like the small-town feel of it. I’m from a city, so it’s a nice change of pace.”

“Dr. Kellum has been out of school for nine years now, and she has been in a previous practice,” French said. “She comes with some nice new perspectives to handle patients.”

Kellum, a 2006 graduate of Virginia Tech, worked at the Culpeper Animal Hospital before moving to Farmville last month.

“I like general practice and small animal work,” Kellum said. “If it can get in the door, I’ll take a look at it!”

The three veterinarians are in the process of getting to know each other’s work and planning for the future of the practice.

“The three of us are figuring out where we want things to go,” Kellum said. “Geriatric medicine and feline medicine are big right now. The ‘cat friendly practice’ is something I’d really like to pursue. I also do acupuncture on horses on the side.”

French noted that the new staff is “learning from each other.”

“I knew that Dr. Shepherd entertained a cat-only practice,” French said. “I never had a cat growing up, but I have learned to appreciate the wonderful relationship clients have with their cats.”

New ideas and new perspectives, French believes, give new direction to an established practice like Ridge Animal. He recalled his own introduction to the practice in 1985.

“I did my preceptorship here my senior year in veterinary school,” French said. “I had searched over the southwestern United States, sent out letters to about 30 practices and went to visit about seven of them.”

French kept two log books — one with notes on each practice he visited and one for his wife Laura with notes on each town.

“Laura’s idea of a place to live was something like Nashville,” French said.

French recalled the notes he made for his wife with a smile.

“My notes on Farmville said: four malls and some very nice restaurants — back then we did have the Golden Coral and Hardee’s,” he said. “And they were excavating for the Food Lion shopping center.”

“Needless to say, when we drove into town this was not Nashville,” French said. “But we both grew to love it here. I had planned to stay for a year, and then I was going back to Kentucky. It never happened.”

Practicing veterinary medicine in Farmville obviously suited French.

“It’s a great place to practice,” he said. “We’re isolated from the big cities here; folks like to receive their pets’ care and needs close by. We try to set ourselves up to do that.”

French greatly appreciates community concern during the months he worked alone in the clinic. Clients seldom complained about longer waits for appointments or less time in the examining room. Instead, French noted, they offered support.

“The clientele was tremendously supportive,” he said. “They were telling me, ‘I’m, really praying for you.’ These folks are not just clients — they’re part of the practice.”

Creating a better practice is the goal of all three veterinarians.

“At this point we are working on working together and building a different dynamic,” French said. “I’m anxious to explore new things that we can offer as we continue to serve our clients the best way we can.”