Dr. William Farmer On Coming Home To Fort Greene & Opening Heart Of Brooklyn Veterinary Hospital

Last month, Heart of Brooklyn Veterinary Hospital opened its doors to the public at 775 Fulton Street (between South Oxford Street and South Portland Avenue). Dr. William Farmer–who’s lived in Fort Greene on and off since 2005–works out of the space, checking up on local cats and dogs and making sure they feel their best. We stopped in recently to chat with Dr. Farmer about his path to the practice.

Dr. Farmer grew up in Ozark, Alabama. “It wasn’t ever a whole farm, like my last name may suggest,” he laughs. “We had some dogs, a couple cats. Living in the country, it’s also kind of whatever you can catch, so there was always an animal around.

“I knew I wanted to be a vet from the time I was little; that was never a question for me. I was just one of those people, and it worked out, fortunately.”

Dr. Farmer says the decision to move to Fort Greene after veterinary school was an obvious one for him–after all, he had accommodations.

“My cousin lived in Fort Greene. She said, ‘You can sleep on my floor,’ and that sounded good to me! “I found out I’d passed my boards, I packed up my car and my dog, and I was here in two days.” (Though said cousin recently moved east to Bedford Stuyvesant, Dr. Farmer says they still see each other twice a week.)

Dr. Farmer initially found work at the now-shuttered Brooklyn Veterinary Hospital on Vanderbilt Avenue, eventually returning to Alabama to help his mentor’s practice stay afloat during an illness.

“I started off cleaning cages there as a kid in high school,” Dr. Farmer says, “and everything just kind of came full circle.”

His mentor now recovered, and now with nearly a decade of experience under his belt, Dr. Farmer returned to Brooklyn to open his own care facility.

“It was a long time coming,” he says. “It just seemed like the right place for me to be–loving the neighborhood, loving the people, and all of the sudden this hospital closed and there being a need for a vet. So I stepped in, and it fit. It was easier than it had to be.”

And it’s not just Dr. Farmer who feels right at home here–he’s worked with receptionist Theresa Holoday since his days on Vanderbilt, and knows practice manager Sara Hoffmann through her work with his vet school roommate, making for an incredibly warm and welcoming environment. Dr. Farmer says multiple neighbors have excitedly recognized Theresa at the front desk–because when it comes to your furriest family member’s health, of course, it’s a relief to see someone again with whom you already have rapport.

In fact, one of Dr. Farmer’s main objectives in the practice is providing comfort for humans and their pets alike. Clients will find a waiting room lovingly decorated with cat and dog-themed paintings and armed with a small coffee and tea bar, while animals with issues will find a new, pain-free outlook through Heart of Brooklyn’s care.

Outside of the hospital, Dr. Farmer enjoys Pequeña, Die Stammkneipe, and BAM, rides his bike around the neighborhood (and to see aforementioned former vet school roommate, who now lives in Greenpoint), and loves some good off leash time in Fort Greene Park.

“You see the same people every day,” he says. “I’ve lived in neighborhoods with dog runs before, but because this park is surrounded by Fort Greene… you don’t get a lot of people coming here from outside, so you get familiar with the folks who live here and take their dogs there. And also, there’s something about getting to turn your dog loose and fling the ball 40 yards.”

As for his favorite thing at the practice, Dr. Farmer says he particularly enjoys helping dogs and cats with common problems that cause them serious discomfort, like skin irritations or dental problems.

“It’s nice to know you can take away,” he says. “You help an animal and they come back a few weeks later for a checkup, and suddenly they have a personality again. It’s always good to see that.”

Think Dr. Farmer and Heart of Brooklyn might be a good match for your cat or dog? Check out their open house tomorrow from 10am-5pm, call them at 718-855-7387, or stop by during regular open hours (8am-6pm Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday; closed Thursdays and Sundays) to see what they’re all about.