Our Veterinarians

• Dr. Stephen J. Dullard
• Dr. Sara Ford

Dr. Dullard is a 1986 Iowa State University graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine.  He graduated with distinction and is a member of Phi Zeta, the honor society of veterinary medicine.  He has been a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association since 1986.  He became a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in 1999 with his board certification in Canine and Feline Practice.

He is a fellow and an active member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP).  He is a Past President of AAFP and AAFP's alternate delegate to the American Veterinary Medical Association.  He is the AAFP mentor to the students in the veterinary medicine programs at Iowa State University and has served as a mentor to the University of Illinois . The Ancare Veterinary Clinic PC has a preceptor program in which veterinary students are able to live and learn at the clinic during clinical rotations their senior year.  He serves on the board of directors for the Illinois State Veterinary Medicine Association, is the chairman of the legislative committee and its past treasurer. 

Dr. Dullard has lectured nationally on ear and throat disease treatments involving the use of lasers/endoscopes and staff training .  He has authored two chapters of a textbook entitled Feline Medicine Secrets and contributes articles to various veterinary magazines. He has participated as a clinical trial researcher for various veterinary drugs.  He is a veterinary news network reporter and has appeared many times on local radio and WGN with Steve Dale.

Dr. Dullard strongly believes in continuing education.  He attends at least 100 hours of continuing education per year so he can keep up with the latest changes in veterinary medicine.  His areas of interest are ear medicine and surgery, general laser and orthopedic surgery and ultrasonography.

Dr. Dullard is married to his wife, Deb and has two sons Connor and Sean.  Deb is a high school counselor in Princeton, Illinois and lets Dr. Dullard pursue his passion for veterinary medicine.  Connor is in eighth grade and Sean is a second grader.   Dr. Dullard likes traveling with his family, hiking, landscaping and walking Trooper, his faithful dog. He is an assistant scout master for Troop 102 in Mendota and is working for certification as a Master Naturalist through the University of Illinois Extention program.

The American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) promotes and recognizes the highest standards in the art and science of contemporary veterinary clinical practice. The Diplomates of ABVP have a common desire and willingness to deliver superior, comprehensive, multi-disciplinary veterinary service to the public. They are veterinarians who have demonstrated expertise in the broad range of clinical subjects relevant to their practice and display the ability to communicate medical observations and data in an organized and appropriate manner. Unlike other AVMA specialty boards, which are devoted to specific disciplines or organ systems, ABVP awards species-specific certification in these practice categories:

Avian Practice
Beef Cattle Practice
Canine & Feline Practice
Dairy Practice
Equine Practice
Feline Practice
Food Animal Practice
Swine Health Management

To ensure that certification is accessible to active practitioners, the accreditation procedure relies upon high quality, practice-related experience, in lieu of lengthy, institution-based, multi-year training programs. Formal postgraduate education is not required. Nevertheless, the credentialing process is rigorous and demanding. Demonstration of a thorough mastery of the field is essential for achieving certification.

Dr. Sara Ford grew up with a wide assortment of animals on her parents’ farm in rural Tonica.   She is a 2006 graduate of University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.  She graduated with a B.S. in Veterinary Sciences from University of Illinois and a B.A. in Biology from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.  The Ancare -Spring Valley Clinic is just down the road from her high school alma mater, St. Bede Academy. Dr. Ford was married on October 4, 2008 to Brian Gross of Peru, IL.

 Dr. Ford enjoys jogging with her mixed breed friend, “Little Dog,” that she adopted at college (her previous owners named her).  “Little Dog” enjoys endless games of chasing her tennis ball and greets everyone by dropping a slobbery ball at their feet.  Dr. Ford adopted a small black cat named Leo who came to the clinic as a stray.  Little Dog greeted Leo with a big wet lick!  Little dog has a new friend "Blue" (Blue Heeler) which joined the family when Dr. Ford married Brian.

 Dr. Ford enjoys traveling and spent a term abroad studying in South America, and a summer back-packing around Europe.  She remembers hiking at Machu Pichu, traveling down the Amazon river, and camping in the rain forest.  She enjoys motorcycling and horse-back riding, and was president of the Illinois Student Chapter of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

 Some of Dr. Ford’s favorite memories include participating in Rural Area Veterinary Services (RAVS).  RAVS is a program that brings free veterinary services (sterilization, vaccinations, and education) to under served rural communities.  She spent her time in North Dakota at several Native American reservations. 

 While studying at Augustana College, Dr. Ford worked at an all feline veterinary practice and was an animal keeper at the primate house at Niabi Zoo. 

 She is excited to be back to her home-town area and is thrilled to join the Ancare team.