Veterinarian Overview
Dr. Olsen, or Doc O, was born in Colorado and grew up as a military child. She and Mom followed her Air Force tanker pilot dad all over the U.S. including some years in Hawaii, but she considers her true childhood family home to be eastern Oregon (which is even drier than Amarillo). She loves the Texas Panhandle, especially Amarillo and is very happy to be raising her family here. Doc O decided veterinary medicine was perfect for her by the time she reached 7 years of age. She stayed with that goal, uninterrupted, until she was 12. It was then that she thought she would make a good President of the United States. Doc O says that due to her love of science and animals, her fascination with politics quickly evaporated and she was back on track with her initial career goal. Animal medicine vs. human medicine…there was never much of a question where Doc O would lend her talents. She often said as she was growing up, that she didn’t think she would be sympathetic enough to work on people, but that it would be pretty hard to be judgmental to an animal. Dr. Olsen met Dr. Pearson while pursuing her undergraduate degree in zoology and they were married in 1988. She followed Doc to Texas A & M and graduated from veterinary school in 1995. She chose to use her maiden name for practice because it created less confusion and it made her father proud. Dr. Olsen’s veterinary passion leans more toward diagnostic medicine while Doc’s is surgery. This makes for the success of their veterinary “marriage” and partnership at the Ark. They assist and complement each other in all areas as they navigate the Ark. In addition to diagnostics, she is also particularly interested in endocrinology and anesthesiology. When not donning the vet hat, Doc O’s hobbies include gardening, cooking, family history and reading about the brain and how it works. She and Doc share their lives with their three dogs and two bunnies, but more importantly they share their lives with their two children, Cole and Annika. For Doc O, being a mom is the greatest achievement and greatest joy. Both the doctors feel they serve their clients and patients better because they are parents and understand the realities of life for many of them. They hope to enhance the lives of those they serve by being sympathetic to the lifestyle of pet owners.
