The Wells County Chamber of Commerce, alongside its ambassadors, proudly hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Ossian Animal Clinic, located at 420 North Jefferson Street. This marks an exciting milestone for the practice as it expands its reach to better serve the Ossian community with high-quality, locally grounded veterinary care.

The clinic, which had been corporately owned for nearly 15 years, officially returned to private ownership on October 1st. This transition reunites the Ossian location with its sister clinics in Bluffton, Decatur, and Waynedale under a consistent, community-focused approach to veterinary medicine. Dr. Brent Bales, one of the practice’s veterinarians and owners, shared that the return to private ownership restores both stability and personalized service.

“Corporate ownership operates very differently than what we believe in,” Bales said during the ceremony. “When clinics are run corporately, emergency care is often diverted to centralized facilities, decision-making becomes less flexible, and it’s harder to maintain that personal connection with the families we serve. Coming back to private ownership means we can provide consistent, community-based care and be here when our clients truly need us.”

A cornerstone of the practice is its commitment to developing homegrown veterinary talent. Many of the clinic’s veterinarians began as high-school interns, continued working throughout college, and ultimately returned to serve their hometown communities after graduating from veterinary school. “We’ve always made it a priority to build a pipeline from right here at home,” Bales explained. “So many of our veterinarians come from Southern Wells, Norwell, Adams Central, Heritage, and other nearby schools. They start young, we mentor them, and most want to return and take care of the community they grew up in.”

The Ossian Animal Clinic has expanded to full-time hours—Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.—with additional staff currently finishing training at the Bluffton location. Bales noted that transitioning from being open only a couple of days a week to five requires time, but the growth is moving steadily. Several new team members from the Ossian area are joining the clinic as part of this expansion.

In addition to extended hours, the clinic now offers an increased surgical schedule, supported by rotating veterinarians who serve all four locations. While Bluffton and Decatur continue to provide large-animal services, the Ossian office will focus on small-animal care with improved availability and reduced congestion. Bales added that reopening the clinic full-time alleviates overcrowding at other locations and allows teams to give each patient the attention they deserve.

Bales emphasized that community connection remains the heart of their mission. “Most of our staff live right here in or around Ossian. This is their community, their family, their neighbors. Returning this clinic to private ownership puts the focus back where it belongs—on serving people we know and care about.”

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call the clinic directly at (260) 622-4186.
Visit their website at www.ossiananimalclinic.com

Pictured in the photo Left to right are:
Angie Topp, Stockton Mortgage, Chamber Board
Ben Renkenberger, United Way of Wells County, Chamber Ambassador
John Cole, AdamsWells Telephone Internet
Dr. Cody Anspach, DVM, Ossian Animal Clinic
Spencer Fear, Edward Jones Financial Advisor
Dr. Tony Lahr, DVM, Ossian Animal Clinic
Kirsten Schieman, Stockton Mortgage, Special Events
Dr. Steve Bales, DVM, Ossian Animal Clinic
Rory Antrim, First Bank of Berne, Chamber Ambassador
Dr. Acacia Suhrer, DVM, Ossian Animal Clinic
Hailey Ginter, Ossian Animal Clinic
Kira Lee, 3Rivers Federal Credit Union, Chamber Ambassador
Dr. Ethan Fultz, DVM, Ossian Animal Clinic
Kody Kumfer, Forgotten Children Worldwide, Chamber Ambassador
Erin Prible, Wells County Chamber, Executive Director

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