Here at Cote Animal Hospital, we’re proud of each and every one of our team members, because, without them, we couldn’t provide such high quality medicine to our patients. Our practice owner and medical director, Dr. Sarah Vineyard, has worked diligently to build such an incredible team, and we want to share her story. We’re glad Dr. Vineyard made the trek from snowy Michigan to our sunny California community to serve pets with advanced integrative medicine. Follow along as we learn Dr. Vineyard’s background, and what led her to veterinary medicine.

Dr. Vineyard’s veterinary origins

Originally from eastern Michigan, Dr. Vineyard knew at the ripe old age of 4 that she was destined to become a veterinarian. When she realized helping animals was a real adult job, she began perfecting her future job skills by building nests for birds, rescuing abandoned baby bunnies, and volunteering at her local humane society. Once she reached age 16, she landed her first job working as a veterinary assistant, and then continued working at various veterinary hospitals while she completed her undergraduate studies at Michigan State University. After graduating, she left snowy Michigan for beautiful, sun-drenched California to earn her veterinary degree and veterinary acupuncture certification from Western University of Health Sciences. She hopes to become certified in veterinary chiropractic and rehabilitation.

Dr. Vineyard’s Cote Animal Hospital beginnings

Dr. Vineyard had no luck when searching for her ideal veterinary hospital. She could not find anything that checked off all her criteria boxes, so she created her own practice and incorporated everything she was looking for. Dr. Vineyard instilled Cote Animal Hospital with her values, including:

  • Understanding the important role pets have in their families
  • Designing care around the many factors that make each pet special
  • Solving problems using the most comprehensive and up-to-date care available
  • Sharing in the little moments and hijinks that make each pet loved by their families

Dr. Vineyard has created a practice that truly embraces all these aspects of veterinary medicine right here in San Diego, where she can protect the love our pets bring. 

Dr. Vineyard’s life outside the hospital

At home, Dr. Vineyard shares her life with two dogs, one cat, and her husband, her high school sweetheart. Mony is her heart dog whom she adopted off the El Cajon streets her first year in practice, and is the best combination of sweet and perfect. Her rambunctious Lab named Wiggles fits her name perfectly, and is a master at stealing the covers. Skid Mark the cat, who has an intriguing story behind his name—you’ll have to ask Dr. Vineyard to share it—came to Dr. Vineyard as a bottle baby she raised while in veterinary school. Ben, her husband, handles her long work hours and endless chatter about her most adorable patient of the day with good humor. 

Dr. Vineyard’s favorites

Dr. Vineyard is a woman of many interests, chief among them her undying love for Bruce Springsteen. As the ultimate fan, she travelled alone to New York City to see him on Broadway. However, she also enjoys many music genres, including old-school rap, classic country, and classic rock. When she’s not jamming to her favorite songs, you can catch her watching a good documentary or drama, camping, or cooking—and she may be wiggling her ears, her hidden talent. You definitely won’t catch her serving up gourmet salads, as she’s more of a sushi fan. 

As a San Diego resident, Dr. Vineyard loves that she gets the best of both worlds. She enjoys wandering the city in the morning, and then hitting the hiking trails in the afternoon. Plus, the city is large enough to have many excellent sushi options. 

While we love Dr. Vineyard for her ear-wiggling and Bruce-Springsteen-singing abilities, we love her more for the passion and devotion she shows our patients. If your pet is in need of truly dedicated care, integrative medicine, or the words of a Bruce Springsteen song crooned in their ear, contact the Cote Animal Hospital team for an appointment.