A fast-growing veterinary group has unveiled plans to open two new practices – with one opening in Tyldesley.

Independent veterinary group, Harrison Family Vets, will shortly begin work on two new practices in Tyldesley and Sheffield, which will open early next year as part of a £700,000 investment programme that will create at least 12 new jobs.

Harrison Family Vets is currently fitting out a newly built unit in the Tyldesley, located just off Moseley Common Road.

As part of its expansion, the group is now actively recruiting for clinic directors, veterinary surgeons, registered veterinary nurses and client care coordinators across both practices.

Once complete, both practices will offer a wealth of pioneering features.

These include innovative waiting areas with bespoke pods, which are all spaced at least two metres apart, giving clients their own space and shielding pets from the stresses of facing other pets in a traditional waiting room.

The pods will also have their own screens displaying pet jokes and facts, as well as information about pet welfare and nutrition. 

There are no reception desks and instead the front of house teams will have the autonomy to freely move around the practice and interact with clients and their pets.

Separate cat and dog wards will also offer mood lighting, pet-friendly pheromones, and music to create a calming atmosphere.

Harrison Family Vets launched in the UK in 2021.

The group currently has five practices located near Reading in Woodley, Kingswinford in the West Midlands, Didsbury in South Manchester, Stockton-on-Tees near Middlesborough and most recently it opened in Armthorpe in Doncaster.

Operations director Kristie Faulkner said: “We’re very excited to start work on our two latest practices and we’re already receiving applications from potential team members.

“The whole ethos at Harrison Family Vets is about fostering a culture within our team that sets us apart and differentiates our practice from all others.

“Every individual’s strengths and personality traits contribute to what we do, in a family orientated environment, and crucially, only pet owners can join our team, because you can’t fully understand our culture unless a pet is an integral member of your family.

“With pioneering practices, and as an independent, family run group, our proposition really stands out.

“We’re striving to push the boundaries of pet care, customer service and employee wellbeing, in an environment that is a long way from a traditional veterinary practice.” 

Once open, along with all team members trained, or currently in training for, the Fear Free Professional Accreditation, the two new practices will aim to follow four of Harrison Family Vets’ other practices to be named as Dog Friendly Clinics, which is a new scheme that was launched earlier this year by Dogs Trust and the British Veterinary Behaviour Association (BVBA). 

Both schemes are integral in significantly reducing fear, stress and anxiety for both pets and their owners, which means every pet’s visit to Harrison Family Vets is as positive as possible.