PetVet Care Centers bought the practice in 2019 and Noll has served as medical director since then.
Noll, who grew up on a farm in Lancaster, has always known he wanted to be a vet.
“I enjoyed when the vet would come out and deal with the cows and the sheep and the other animals we had at the time and decided that was what I wanted to do,” Noll said. “I’ve been a very fortunate person to be able to do what I wanted to do.”
Noll graduated from Ohio State’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1980 and worked for another vet in Richland County before he started his own practice, which moved in 1985 to its current and larger location.
At the time of the practice’s opening, Noll said there weren’t many job opportunities and he wanted a rural/urban mix of business. He was doing a lot of farm work at the time, something he still does, though less.
Noll liked the area and now has no plans to live Springfield.
“I’ve been very happy; I’m happy with being able to serve the area,” Noll said. “I’ve been happy with working with great people.”
Noll has seen a lot of changes in the vet field, related to the COVID-19 pandemic and advances in technology, something he said that has made getting results quicker.
“We have we have ability to use imaging and blood work at our fingertips; it just makes it so much easier to make your diagnosis and to be able to do treatment for your care for your clients,” Noll said, also highlighting newer uses of artificial intelligence.
Noll’s last day at the practice will be June 30. He said he hasn’t yet begun to reflect on his career, being more focused on the work he loves in the moment. Clients have approached him and talked about his upcoming retirement, which he said was something for which he was not quite ready.
But Noll said he is ready to move on to the next stage in his life, having seen too many people who cannot enjoy their retirement due to illness or other circumstances.
Noll has four children, as well ass three grandkids in North Carolina, two being 6-week-old twins.
Noll and his wife plan to travel more, including to Italy and Greece, and he said he’ll “putter around and do things” on their 10 acres in Springfield.
The clients and staff will be what Noll misses most, as well as “challenging myself,” but he said he plans to find a way to “make myself useful.”
The “very busy” practice is actively looking for a second vet to meet the demands of the community, Noll said.
“Just because I’m going away doesn’t mean I’m going to disappear, and the office is still going to provide the same services they’ve always been able to provide,” Noll said.
Noll thanked his clients for trusting him and the practice.
“Thank you for allowing us to help with your family members,” Noll said. “This area has been great for me; people have been great. I could not have been more fortunate.”
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