Best Place to Work (Under 50 Employees)

Tumalo Animal Hospital has been around since the 1970s, located in a former house and barn. The workspace is tight, which is fine when you have happy employees who just won Best Place to Work (under 50 employees).

When asked what makes the clinic the “Best Place to Work,” Practice Manager Amie Aleshire says, “I think the energy all the team members bring every single day. The positive attitude and how much we care about our patients and clients… Competitive wages, paid continuing education, generous PTO and sick time. We very seriously prioritize time off for staff and reserve same day slots for sick pets to make sure patients can be seen but we don’t overwhelm staff.”

The staff also participates in bonding activities once a quarter, such as rafting, visiting a pumpkin patch, painting or celebrating birthdays at The Bite food truck lot. Aleshire also says they have a “Pawsitive Comments” box to acknowledge staff members who go above and beyond or achieve a new skill. They read those comments at their monthly staff meetings.

Tumalo Animal Hospital has 20 employees and more than 3,000 animal patients. *Photo by Nic Moye*

Owner and veterinarian Dr. Rebecca Cochran says, “We work very hard to make it a good place to work. It’s very intentional. It’s not just happenstance. We make sure everyone’s heard and has their own voice as part of the clinic. It can be a very stressful job. People come in at very emotional states.” Cochran says they don’t tolerate anyone being rude to staff and she also feels the quarterly bonding outings make a difference. The camaraderie shows, with the longest employee working there nearly 20 years.

Tumalo Animal Hospital has 20 employees serving 2,811 human clients who own a total of 3,241 animal patients. It’s not just a clinic serving cats and dogs; one veterinarian also sees livestock and farm animals such as alpacas, cows, horses, pigs, chickens, sheep and goats. There’s even a corral out back to hold the larger animals.

Runner Up: Bend Veterinary Clinic

Tumalo Animal Hospital

Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-5pm, Sat. 8:30am-4pm

19850 5th St., Bend

tumaloanimalhospital.com/

This article appears in Best of Central Oregon 2025 and the Source August 21, 2025.