“Critter Fixers: Country Vets” stars from Georgia to appear in Rose Parade

PASADENA, Calif. — The 135th Rose Parade airs New Year’s Day on Channel 2 and Georgians may notice some familiar faces on one of the floats.

“Critter Fixers: Country Vets” stars Dr. Terrence Ferguson and Dr. Vernard Hodges will participate in the parade this year. The veterinarians from the Bonaire, Georgia clinic will appear on the Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s “Feed the Love” float.

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The 55-ft float’s theme is to encourage pet ownership and shelter adoptions. It also will highlight efforts to grow diversity within the veterinary community.

“As Black men working in a field in which roughly 90% of U.S. veterinarians identify as white —and just 2% as Black —the importance of representation and mentorship has been an incredibly important part of our careers and how we want to give back to the future generations to ensure a more diverse and sustainable future for our profession and the pets we care for,” Ferguson said.

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Ferguson and Hodges both grew up in rural Georgia and attended Tuskegee. They opened the first Critter Fixer Veterinary Hospital back in 1999 and recently opened up a clinic in Smyrna last summer.

For the parade on Monday, the Critter Fixers will be joined by Tuskegee students, Hill’s student representatives and those involved with Pasadena Humane and the Hill’s Food Shelter & Love program.

“We began our relationship with Hill’s when we were vet students at Tuskegee and have continued to feed and recommend Hill’s throughout our careers and in our clinics,” Hodges said. “We are excited to form an official collaboration, combining efforts around our joint missions to help pets and diversify the face of veterinary medicine to ensure a healthier and happier future for pets.”

The Rose Parade will air from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on New Year’s Day on Channel 2. The new season of “Critter Fixers: Country Vets” premieres in April.

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