Dr. Lore I. Haug

DVM, MS, DACVB, CABC

Animal Background

I grew up surrounded by animals in a typical residential neighborhood.  My brothers and I at some point accumulated almost every type of small animal you could imagine (dogs, cats, rabbits, a wide variety of rodents, ferrets, parrots, finches, fish, and various reptiles and amphibians), much to my father’s dismay.  (He eventually adopted the “if you can’t beat’em, join’em” approach.)  In addition to the usual “pets,” we also frequently rehabilitated wild birds and small mammals, of which the owls were most fascinating.  Because my oldest brother was enraptured with reptiles and other creepy crawlies, I developed first an acceptance, and then absorption, of my own (in part to prevent him from being able to torture me through my entire childhood).

I began participating in competitive obedience with Doberman Pinschers in 1980.  Over the next 20 years, I titled Dobermans and a Dalmatian.  I also competed in conformation, and played around a little with tracking and agility.  I instructed obedience classes for many years, both privately and in association with a club.  I have had a long-term love of Doberman Pinschers.  Since the death of my last wonderful Doberman, Obeah, in October 2012, I have opened my heart and home to a lovely pit bull mix rescue dog, Sunny.

Similar to many young girls, I grew up fascinated by horses but unable to own one.  I have been fortunate to rectify this and now have friendship with a wonderful Polish Arabian gelding.

Veterinary medicine

Making the decision to become a veterinarian was not hard.  In fact, everyone around me assumed that was my career path before I even accepted it myself.  Choosing behavioral medicine as a specialty was a little more difficult.  Although I loved behavior, I was also rewardingly challenged by other medical disciplines such as critical care and neurology.  In the end, the brain won.  The brain is one of our last true frontiers.  It is astonishing how much science has learned about the brain and the way it works.  Yet despite this, we still have such a poor grasp on why humans and animals behave the way they do.  The more questions that science answers, the more questions there are to answer.  Behavioral medicine allows me to be a neurologist and internist as well.  It also allows me to help people try to achieve the indescribably life-altering bond with their animals that I have had with mine.

Veterinary experience

From 1994-1999, I practiced general medicine with a special interest in behavior and exotic pet medicine.  I also have 15 years of part-time and 2 years of full time emergency medicine experience.  I like to think this gives me a broad perspective when working with my behavior patients.

In 1999, I returned to Texas A&M to complete my residency.  After finishing this, I remained on faculty at Texas A&M to run the Animal Behavior Service until 2007.  In the summer of 2007, I returned to Houston to begin a behavior referral practice.   I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at TAMU, but I have been able to provide a broader and more thorough service in my position here in Houston. 

Dr. Blake Gibson

DVM, BA

Education

• Graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 2017 with a BA in Biochemistry with Honors

• Graduated from University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 2021

• Completed a rotating internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2021-2022

Background

I grew up in southern Illinois with his identical twin brother, Jordan. He grew up with a Yorkshire Terrier as a family dog.

In high school, I volunteered at shelters in the St. Louis area where he assisted with socialization, enrichment, and basic training of the shelter dogs. This sparked my interest in animal behavior and welfare and started my journey to veterinary behavioral medicine. I continued volunteering at shelters during my undergraduate education and began working with the shelter veterinarian. I co-authored a manuscript on the molecular process of bacterial biofilm formation. I then applied to the veterinary medicine curriculum at University of Missouri. During my veterinary education, I maintained my interest in behavioral medicine but also became very interested in dermatology. I served as President of the Shelter Medicine Club and the Student Chapter of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society. I participated in a research project on the otic (ear) microbiome in dogs and presented these findings at the Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholars Symposium in 2018.

Veterinary Experience

I was an ICU veterinary assistant at Veterinary Specialty Services in St. Louis for several months between veterinary school semesters.

Throughout my veterinary education I sought exposure to behavioral medicine by networking with other behavior professionals and doing external rotations with multiple board certified veterinary behaviorists. I also completed my Fear Free Certification in 2021, achieving Level 2 Certification in 2022. While I was considering a career in dermatology, these experiences along with my challenges with my German Shepherd, Charley, and her fear aggression toward dogs, anxiety, and separation-related distress, convinced me that my future lay in behavior. Additionally, I felt my goal to improve the welfare of dogs in general was best accomplished by obtaining Board Certification in the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. After finishing my rotating internship at Auburn University in 2022, I joined Texas Veterinary Behavior Services to begin my residency training in veterinary behavioral medicine.