Our Mission

Our Mission is to care for every animal and every person who cares for them - - always.

Our Vision is of a world where every animal gets the care they deserve.

We pursue our Mission emphasizing professional and personal values of Access, Empathy, Responsibility, Community and Improvement.

DoveLewis Animal Emergency and Specialty Hospital was founded in 1973 by Mr. A. B. Lewis in cooperation with the Portland Veterinary Medical Association and in memory of Mr. Lewis' late wife Dove. DoveLewis was one of the first nonprofit emergency animal hospitals in the United States, and Dove's personal legacy of loving all animals and promoting the human-animal bond lives on in the people who love and support our hospital and community programs.

Since its founding, the organization has expanded its veterinary medical services beyond emergencies only to also encompass critical and specialty services including surgery, cardiology, radiology, internal medicine, neurology, and dermatology. As the only nonprofit, 24/7 emergency and specialty veterinary hospital in Oregon and Southwest Washington, DoveLewis saw in its last full fiscal year an increase in caseload from 24,000+ to over 29,000+ patients. (+20%)

In addition to its emergency and specialty care operations, DoveLewis provides seven community-based programs to promote the human-animal bond and work toward our vision of a world where every animal receives the care they deserve. These programs include:

• Velvet Assistance Fund - financial aid for low-income and homeless pet owners to access emergency veterinary care for their animal family members;
• Portland Area Canine Therapy Team (PACTT) - a certified canine therapy program with more than 80 human/animal teams whose participants visit first responders, courtrooms, schools, hospitals, and assisted living facilities, to mention just a few of the recipients. In a normal year, our PACTT teams provide over 8,000 hours in community outreach;
• Wildlife Program - to provide care for injured indigenous wildlife including a very large number of birds of all kinds which we treat on behalf of the Audobon Society;
• Stray and Lost Pets Fund - providing medical attention to injured and sick pets found and brought to us by those other than the owners.
• The Charlie Fund - providing medical care for victims of animal abuse;
• Blood Bank - a volunteer-based canine and feline blood bank that provides blood and plasma for dog and cat surgeries at the hospital and which we additionally make available to animal clinics across the state and the country;
• Pet Loss Support Program - a grief counseling program for people who've lost an animal family member.

Lastly, DoveLewis is a teaching hospital committed to supporting veterinary professionals and educating the next generation of practitioners. In addition to offering a competitive internship program each year in emergency medicine, the hospital provides continuing education for the veterinary community through regional events and an online education series with an international reach serving over 50,000 subscribers worldwide.