1 of 2
Photos by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Dr. Amy Tate, left, holds Jake, a Labrador mix, as Markecia Kemp, a veterinary assistant, moves a laser over his broken toe during an appointment at Riverview Animal Clinic. The clinic has been serving residents in the Birmingham-metro area along U.S. 280 for 40 years.
2 of 2
Photos by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Dr. Christopher Campbell examines the back leg of Sebastian, a 4-year-old bearded dragon.
After 40 years of treating cats, dogs and pets of all kinds along the U.S. 280 corridor, Riverview Animal Clinic is now part of its own rare breed: the locally owned veterinary clinic.
Since it was established in 1984, the clinic has been a trusted mainstay for pet owners, while maintaining its status as one of the last independently owned and operated animal clinics in greater Birmingham.
While many veterinary clinics in Alabama and beyond have been purchased and brought under corporate ownership, Dr. Amy Tate, co-owner and managing partner of Riverview Animal Clinic, said the clinic’s current ownership team hopes to continue its tradition of independent operation, while extending part-ownership opportunities to Riverview Animal Clinic staff.
“Over the past few years, there have been some corporate entities that have bought up a lot of practices locally,” Tate said. “So we’d like to continue our ability to share in our success with our other associates as they buy into the practice.”
Dr. Arthur Serwitz, the now-retired founder of Riverview Animal Clinic, echoed Tate, adding that the financial requirements to enter veterinary medicine are much higher than they were when he entered the field in the late 1960s. For many new veterinarians, working in a corporate-owned practice is the only viable option, he said.
“We hope that we can maintain ourselves as an independent practice,” Serwitz said. “That’s been a big challenge.”
Riverview Animal Clinic’s predecessor was the Motel for Pets. Established in 1956 by veterinarian Dr. Jack Baker, the Motel for Pets was originally an animal boarding facility built to resemble the roadside motels that were popular among weary travelers along U.S. highways.
Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Dr. Robert Wood examines Lenny, a 2-year-old golden retriever, with Katie Kirkland, a second-year vet student.
For years, the Motel for Pets was one of only a few businesses that dotted U.S. 280 in the areas that would eventually become known as Inverness and Greystone. All of that changed in the mid-1980s as the Birmingham region’s urban sprawl started to head southeast.
Born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, Serwitz grew up in Richmond, Va., and earned his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in 1966 and his doctorate from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in 1970.
After traveling and working in Israel for a year, Serwitz ended up in Raleigh, N.C., for a dairy internship, before moving on to the south Georgia town of Cairo. After one more stop in Tuscaloosa, Serwitz moved to Birmingham to practice at Standifer’s Animal Clinic in Homewood.
At the same time that Birmingham’s sprawl was starting to creep down U.S. 280, Serwitz was ready to start his own practice. He discovered Baker was interested in selling the Motel for Pets.
“I was looking for a place to hang my degree and this property was being sold,” Serwitz said. At the time, another potential buyer was interested in the business, however, Serwitz was the winner, closing on the Motel for Pets in September 1984.
Renamed Riverview Animal Clinic, Serwitz’s veterinary practice started small, with six staff members in a space of approximately 2,000 square feet.
“That next summer, 1985, is when I met Dr. [Robert] Wood and talked to him, and he joined up with us,” Serwitz said. “Within a couple of years, he was a partner and we kind of grew the practice for many years.”
We actually have generations of grandparents, great-grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren that we’ve seen. Families that, over the years, have grown with us, stayed with us. And I think each person individually has added a different dimension to the sum of the whole.
Dr. Arthur Serwitz
Dr. Alvin Atlas joined the practice in 1988, followed by Tate in 2000 and, most recently, Dr. Daniel LeBlanc, a New Orleans native, in 2018. Many of Riverview Animal Clinic’s support staff have been in their roles for years, contributing to the clinic’s family atmosphere.
“We actually have generations of grandparents, great-grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren that we’ve seen. Families that, over the years, have grown with us, stayed with us,” Serwitz said. “And I think each person individually has added a different dimension to the sum of the whole.”
“I think it’s unique for the longevity of the people and the practice. On average, we have employees with us 12 to 13 years, and we’ve had an original core of doctors that don’t turn over,” Tate said. “Let’s face it, if it wasn’t for our great support staff, we couldn’t do what we do.”
Tate started working at Riverview Animal Clinic in 1992 as a kennel technician, while a student at Pelham High School. Just 15 at the time, Tate was interested in horses and had expressed a desire to become an equine veterinarian. She needed a special permit to work evenings after school and on weekends.
1 of 2
Photo courtesy of Riverview Animal Clinic.
Construction on the new lobby at Riverview Animal Clinic, seen from U.S. 280, in the 1980s.
2 of 2
Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
An exterior view of the Riverview Animal Clinic on June 27.
“I wanted a horse as a kid, and I wanted riding lessons, and my parents wanted me to know how hard it was,” Tate said. “I started riding lessons, and I realized I can actually work with animals and have a career at it.”
Tate went on to attend Auburn University and, while she still rides horses for enjoyment, changed her focus to small animals. She earned her DVM in 2000 and immediately started practicing at Riverview Animal Clinic, then bought into the business in 2006.
“I got a job where we took our dogs and cats, and that’s my first and last job ever,” Tate said.
Tate said the clinic’s partners remain dedicated to providing the best pet care possible and constantly investigate new technologies and treatment options. She also said maintaining the clinic’s American Animal Hospital Association accreditation is a top priority.
Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
The original veterinary partners of Riverview Animal Clinic, from left, Dr. Alvin Atlas, Dr. Amy Tate, Dr. Robert Wood and Dr. Arthur Serwitz, founder of Riverview Animal Clinic.
Additionally, Tate said they may consider opening a second location if an opportunity arises. Despite the traffic issues and congestion that can make U.S. 280 challenging, she said the team has no intention of moving the practice.
“It is a landmark of 280,” she said. “One of the reasons why we haven’t given up our Saturday hours is so people can get out on to 280 and come into the clinic at a time when it’s convenient for them.”
Tate said Riverview Animal Clinic’s longevity in serving the needs of Birmingham pet owners has built a sense of trust and loyalty.
“They love the consistency. Some of them know my schedule more than I do. They love that they are going to see the same people every time or the same doctor each time, or the same support staff is going to greet them when they come in,” Tate said. “They know what to expect and what kind of experience they will have, and I think people like that kind of certainty sometimes in an uncertain world.”
Riverview Animal Clinic is located at 4640 U.S. 280 S. and is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Visit riverviewanimalclinic.vet for more information.
