We recently connected with Dr. Josh and have shared our conversation below.

Dr., thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

We are certainly living through challenging times where it is easier to be a bully and be mean to other people. However, there are some amazing humans out there that make sure they touch lives as they go through this journey. One of those special circumstances happened to me when I met a female client and her mother. The client is an openly lesbian woman that is married to another amazing human being. When I met them, they were sharing stories about their life as a family and one story that resonated with me was that when my client’s mom found out that her daughter was gay and that her husband was not happy about the situation, the mother told her husband to accept and love their daughter as she was or else she would file for divorce and leave him. This story literally made me cry because not only I was not that lucky to have supportive parents that accepted me as a gay man, but it also showed me how far a mother’s love can go. It showed me what true love is and that is something that we do not experience as often these days. Their story touched me so deeply that I could not keep it together and I was one hot emotional mess. After their visit, my client’s mom sent me flowers and a beautiful card that I still keep with me. These are the stories that remind me that there are good people out there and that this life is worth living and fighting for! I am so thankful I have met and continue to meet amazing people like these ladies.

Dr., before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Dr. Josh and I am the owner at Isla Veterinary Boutique Hospital in Addison, Texas. Since I was a little kid, I have always been focused on becoming a veterinarian and owning my own hospital. I also knew that I wanted my hospital to stand out from other practices and that I wanted to leave a legacy. I work hard every day to touch as many lives as I can, both human and non human lives. My goal is to provide the best medical care to our patients, through my passion and my team’s devotion. We are always focused on going that extra mile to make sure that when people leave our hospital, they know exactly who we are and that they can count on us to always be there for them. I am very proud to have an amazing and caring team that helps me provide outstanding care to our patients and excellent client service to their human parents. With Isla Vet, I strive to create a staple of our community where excellence is seen in everything we do.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I would say that one of the best sources of new clients has been word of mouth. We honestly care so much about what we do that it shows on our performance and clients notice it. I love to treat my clients with the utmost respect and commitment and I believe they return the favor by referring other pet parents to us. As long as we continue to excel at what we do, I believe word of mouth will continue to help us build a loyal client base that knows they can count on us.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

As a kid and for many years, I always had plan A and only plan A. While that helped me stay focused and achieve my goal of becoming a veterinarian, it definitely proved to be a temporary approach. As an adult, I have learned that it is important to have back up plans because it does not matter how hard we may work or how determined we may be, life sometimes has a different plan for us. I always thought I would practice medicine and only do that, but with different opportunities that have arisen, I now also provide routine interviews for major TV networks like Telemundo and Univision. I also write a monthly column for the most important local LGBT magazine called Dallas Voice. I was even highlighted by Bank of America in a video shooting that focused on Isla Vet and my personal journey, which was marketed for Hispanic Heritage Month. I have been very lucky to enter a more public role and I enjoy every aspect of it. I never ever thought I would have these opportunities present to me, but they did and I have welcomed them and could not be any happier!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.islavet.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/islavet/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/islavetboutique
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/isla-veterinary-boutique-hospital-addison

Image Credits
Caleb Oquendo