I grew up in Pleasant Valley, NY on our family owned farm where I developed my love for animals early on. Our farm was not only home to poultry and wild game birds, but also a herd of cattle, standard bred racehorses, sheep, pigs and of course dogs and cats. It was there that I was first introduced to veterinary medicine. I was intrigued watching local veterinarians treat our ill and injured animals and enjoyed caring for them in their convalescence. After working at a local animal hospital, I was certain I would pursue a career in veterinarian medicine!

I then graduated from the Arlington School and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Marist College here in Poughkeepsie. I went to Penn State University, where I was granted a research scholarship in their animal summer program. Later, I received my DVM degree from the University of the Philippines. I returned home to the Hudson Valley and opened the Arlington Animal Hospital, which was one of the best decisions of my life! My veterinary special interests are soft tissue surgery, dermatology and geriatrics. When I am not working, I enjoy coaching, exercising, gardening and spending time with my family and pets.

Dr. Standnes was born and raised on a little farm called Standnes located in the picturesque fjord land on the west coast of Norway. Animals of many kinds were a part of his rural lifestyle from the very beginning and after graduating from college he packed his bags and ventured to Edinburgh, Scotland to study the art and craftsmanship of veterinary medicine and surgery.

After a few years in James Herriot’s homeland working with all creatures great and small, an opportunity of a lifetime came along when Dr. Mintzer called one evening and hired him as an associate. Roots got severed, bridges burnt and off he went following his dream to settle in the Promised Land.

Destiny soon brought Stephanie into his life through her dog Trusty (the poor ol’ fellow had a bladder stone!) and less than two years later they tied the knot. In his spare time, when he is not at home with his lovely wife or exploring new places, odds are he is cruising around the scenic country lanes on his motorcycle or kayaking on the beautiful Hudson river. In the winter he is an avid follower of the English Premier League (soccer). Between matches he reads books and sailing magazines and spends a fair few hours honing his skills at the local firing range.

At the end of the day he snuggles up with his wife and their two cats, Oscar and Cyrus (he is the rascal by the way!), looking forward to the next day of challenges caring for perhaps YOUR pet.

Dr. Mintzer is the owner of Mid Hudson Animal Hospital and a partner at Arlington Animal Hospital and A Cat’s Place Feline Health Center. He is also a computer programmer; all of the programs used at the hospitals are products of his programming.

Dr. Mintzer has been interested in biology and medicine since he was a young child. He knew little about pets though because he grew up in a house with his grandmother who could not allow pets because of her asthma. When he was 20 he moved into his own apartment in Brooklyn. Driving a taxicab in New York City at night was a quick though dangerous way to make money to pay his way through college. His friends suggested he get a job with a veterinarian so when he graduated college he’d know enough about animals to take care of them on the commune (it was the late ’60’s at this time) they were planning to start in the Catskill Mountains.

The first day he worked for the vet (Dr. Robert Groskin in Brooklyn, NY) he helped perform a cesarean section on a Golden Retriever. He was hooked. A year later, having graduated college, adopted a cat and 2 dogs and he was off to vet school. After graduating vet school (first in his class) and working in Princeton, NJ and then in Brooklyn, NY he moved with his wife Susan and young children, Jennifer and Daniel to the Hudson valley. He soon opened his own practice, Mid Hudson Animal Hospital. The practice grew and flourished and he soon found a great partner, Dr. Marie Quattro, with whom he opened the Arlington Animal Hospital. Finally 15 years later he opened A Cat’s Place Veterinary Hospital with another terrific partner, Dr. Andrea Guazzo.

Dr. Mintzer’s pride and joy are his children Daniel and Jennifer. Although they did not follow him into the profession of veterinary medicine they are both happily following their own paths in life. Jennifer is a working singer/actress who “supplements” her income by working at Bloomberg Inc. in NYC. One of her favorite rolls was as ‘Luisa’ in the Fantastics. You can see some pictures from the play here. Daniel is a drummer in a number of different bands, though he too has to have a ‘real job’ and works with his sister at Bloomberg.

These days Dr. Mintzer still spends quite a bit of time working at Mid Hudson Animal Hospital and helping manage Arlington Animal Hospital. In his spare time he’s an active outdoorsman who can often be found hiking the local parks like Mills and Vanderbilt, the Catskills and Adirondacks, or taking some time off to backpack in the American West. On warm days you might also see him canoeing or kayaking in the Hudson. When the weather turns cold he’s either skiing, or snowshoeing somewhere in the woods. While he does this he always has his camera with him. He’s been an avid photographer since he was 10 years old and with the advent of digital photography is happily back to making images again. Like one of his influences, Ansel Adams, he agrees that pictures are not taken, they’re made. He spend hours in front of the computer getting each of his images just right. If you’ve been in the office over the past few years you’ve seen some of his photography hanging on the walls.