Spartan Profiles: Monica Kucher
PETS IN GOOD HANDS
Last year, the Athens Banner Herald in Georgia conducted a survey for “the best in the area.” For “Best Veterinarian,” readers picked Monica Kucher, ’87, DVM ’89, founder and owner of the Good Hands Veterinary Hospital, a 10,000-square-foot state-of-the-art clinic which specializes in small animal care, everything from surgery to boarding and grooming. “I was shocked,” says Kucher of her selection. “I can say that I have the best clients in Athens. My basic philosophy is to educate the client as much as possible so they don’t have to see us. But if they do, we have the whole range of services.” These include video endoscopy, a full radiology unit, and both soft tissue and orthopedic surgery. “We also do a lot of dentistry,” adds Monica. “Also, I’ve become the person for artificial insemination.”
A native of Saginaw, Monica decided in 8th grade she wanted to become a vet, and so MSU was her choice school. “I loved MSU and I want to go back,” says Monica, who married her MSU classmate P.O. Eric Mueller, DVM ’89. “He is a large animal surgeon at the University of Georgia and I tell him that if he gets another job it will have to be at MSU.” Monica says her MSU education was “outstanding.”
When she first arrived in the Atlanta area, she recalls, “I found out how much the people respected my degree and it made me realize how much MSU taught me.” She lauds opthalmologist Dr. Curtis Probst with “helping me an awful lot.”
At MSU she was a loyal hockey fan, never missing a game at Munn Arena . But now, after more than 13 years in Athens, she’s become a fan of the Georgia Bulldogs—going so far as to acquire the popular English Bulldog herself, like most Georgia fans. “They look ferocious but they are very, very sweet,” she notes. “If you try to pet them, most likely they’ll roll on their backs and let you rub their bellies.”