A Five-Year Dream, Finally Open: Welcoming Dorset Street Animal Hospital

Veterinary Practice Partners is proud to celebrate the grand opening of Dorset Street Animal Hospital in South Burlington, Vermont — a walk-in urgent care and the largest de novo build in VPP’s history.

Today is a milestone day for Veterinary Practice Partners, for the team at Onion River Animal Hospital, and — most importantly — for the pets and pet owners of South Burlington, Vermont. We are thrilled to announce the grand opening of Dorset Street Animal Hospital, a walk-in urgent care and companion animal practice built from the ground up in partnership with some of the most respected veterinary leaders in the industry.

Dorset Street is a sister hospital to Onion River Animal Hospital, which joined the VPP partnership in 2025. Both practices share a founding partner in Dr. Karen Bradley, a nationally recognized voice in veterinary medicine whose influence on Vermont’s veterinary community — and the profession at large — has shaped a generation of clinicians. Dr. Bradley is also a longtime leader in the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative (WVLDI), and her commitment to mentorship and advancing women in veterinary medicine is part of what makes this opening especially meaningful.

Five-Plus Years in the Making

For Dr. Bradley and her co-owners — Dr. Anne Culp, who will serve as the anchor doctor at Dorset Street, and practice manager Josh Blakemore — this isn’t a new idea. It’s a five-plus-year dream finally brought to life. All three are partners with significant ownership stakes, and Dorset Street is where they will be building their main careers.

When the Onion River team began evaluating partnership options, one criterion rose above the rest: the partner had to be able to deliver a de novo build, end to end. VPP’s turnkey de novo capability — from site selection and design through construction, hiring, licensing, and launch — is exactly what they were looking for.

“Finding a partner who could actually build this for us, the way we’d been imagining it for years, was non-negotiable. VPP made it real.”
— Dr. Karen Bradley, Partner, Dorset Street Animal Hospital

A Hospital Built for South Burlington

Dorset Street Animal Hospital was purpose-built around a clear gap the team saw in the South Burlington market: accessible, high-quality care for pets and the people who love them, right when they need it. As a walk-in urgent care (not appointment-only) Dorset Street is designed to meet clients where they are, when they need to be met. That walk-in model is a meaningful differentiator for the region and a direct response to what Karen, Anne, and Josh have been hearing from their community for years.

At just over 9,000 square feet with 11 exam rooms, Dorset Street is the largest and most ambitious de novo project in VPP’s history. Every square foot reflects years of planning from its partners, and every decision, from the flow of the lobby to the layout of the treatment areas, was made with their team and their clients in mind.

Congratulations to the Dorset Street Team

To Karen, Anne, Josh, and the entire team behind Dorset Street Animal Hospital: congratulations. It’s an honor to partner with you, and we can’t wait to watch what you build next.

Learn more about Dorset Street Animal Hospital at dorsetstreetanimalhospital.com and follow along on Instagram at @dorsetstreetanimalhospital and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DorsetStreetAH/.