About Us
Lane Animal Hospital, located in Chelsea, MI, since 1905, is a full-service veterinary medical facility for everything from well visits and vaccines to dental radiography and surgery!
About Us
To best serve our clients and our small community, we also offer boarding and grooming services for both cats and dogs. The professional, educated, and courteous staff at Lane, seek to provide the best possible medical, surgical, and dental care for your beloved household companions.
Our Story
We are committed to promoting responsible pet ownership through educating our clients on preventative health care. At Lane Animal Hospital, we strive to offer excellence in veterinary care to our community and those that surround it. We currently have 4 doctors on staff and a large support staff to help them care for all of the animals we see on a daily basis. Our hospital is open 6 days a week, offering urgent and emergency services during regular business hours on a case by case basis.
Our History
Since 1905, Lane Animal Hospital (LAH) has been a cornerstone of the Chelsea community, beginning with Dr. Charles Chandler Lane, a recent graduate of Grand Rapids Veterinary College. Tragically, in 1943, Dr. Lane passed away in a car accident after a Sunday farm call. However, his remarkable widow, Caroline Lane, took the reins, dispensing first aid, boarding pets, and recruiting additional veterinarians to keep the practice thriving while their son, Wilfred Chandler Lane, served overseas during World War II. Upon his return in 1955 as a proud Michigan State University graduate, Dr. Wilfred Lane resumed his father’s legacy, ensuring that the practice continued to flourish.
In 1963, Dr. W. C. Lane foresaw the area’s changing demographics and established a full-service veterinary clinic next to his family home on 636 N. Main Street. This expansion welcomed the talents of Dr. Arthur Tremper, a Michigan State University graduate (1967), and Dr. Robert Bowers, a graduate of The Ohio State University, both of whom joined Dr. Lane in 1972 and dedicated their careers to serving the Chelsea community.
As the 1990s rolled on, Dr. Lane, Dr. Tremper, and Dr. Bowers continued to grow the LAH practice. Donna Lane, Dr. Wilfred Lane’s wife, was instrumental in the clinic’s growth, serving as receptionist, accountant, office manager, nurse, and more. Their youngest son, Jonathan Frederick Lane, returned to Chelsea and eagerly joined his father in practice. The next generation solidified its legacy when Dr. Jonathan Lane’s soon-to-be bride, Dr. Margaret Callan, joined the practice after graduating from Ross Veterinary University in 1995.
Following Dr. W. C. Lane’s passing in 1997, Donna, Dr. Tremper, and Dr. Bowers began construction on our current LAH home at 701 N. Main Street. This facility was designed with room for a larger boarding area, an expanded grooming salon, and space for LAH to continue growing and meeting the community’s needs.
Dr. Holly Fava joined the Lane Animal Hospital team in 2013 after completing a GP externship with LAH through Michigan State University. As Dr. Bowers and Dr. Tremper planned for retirement following more than 40 years in practice. Dr. Tremper fully retired in June 2018, after 50 years in veterinary medicine and Dr. Bowers fully retired at the end of 2023.
As we celebrate our rich history, we’re also excited to welcome Dr. Laura O’Rourke and Dr. Amanda Critchfield, both graduates of Michigan State University, who joined our team in 2023!