Dr. John Hammons, president of the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association, appears on the cover of the biannual Alabama Veterinarian journal with his wife, Peggy, and their dog, Howard, a mixed breed found on the side of a road. The picture was taken at their Athens home.

When John Hammons was a boy growing up in Limestone County, he knew he wanted to become a veterinarian after a vet successfully cured his puppy of distemper.

“Even with a poor prognosis and eventual survival, I was awestruck by the knowledge of veterinarians,” said Hammons, vet and owner of Town & Country Animal Hospital in Athens and the 2014-15 president of the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association.

This and other memories are featured in stories about Hammons on the ALVMA website at www.alvma.com. There is also a companion story about how, in February 2013, Hammons saved a dog found with a 10-foot, 22-pound logging chain padlocked around her neck, which had imbedded in her muscle.

The dog owner who perpetrated the abuse — Farrah Hope Michael of Lester — first pretended she found the injured and abused dog and brought it to Hammons’ office for treatment. Later, she pleaded guilty to animal cruelty. Limestone County District Judge Jeanne Anderson sentenced her to 180 days in jail but suspended the jail time in lieu of 24 months of probation. She also ordered her to pay $1,705 and serve 40 hours of community service at the dog pound, and barred her from owning animals.

Hammons also reflects on hopes for his profession and answers other questions. Hammons and his wife, Peggy, and their dog, Howard, a mixed breed that was found on the side of a road, are also featured on the cover of the Alabama Veterinarian biannual magazine, along with the stories inside.

Background

Hammons earned his doctorate of veterinary medicine in 1977 from Auburn University and spent the first four years after graduation at a mixed animal practice and on lots of dairy farms in Jefferson City, Tennessee. In 1981, he purchased and opened Town & Country Animal Hospital in Athens and his been treating animals there now for 34 years.

Hammons became president of ALVMA in June 2014 and will serve one year.

The ALVMA formed in 1959 to advance the science and art of veterinary medicine, foster cooperative spirit and ethical behavior in all professional activities of vet, maintain high standards of professional qualifications through veterinary medical education and continuing education, increase public awareness of animal health and disease-control problems, support legislation on animal health and disease control, and encourage responsible pet ownership and the humane treatment of all animals.