Founded in 2009. Still family-owned.

Dr. Sarah Harlow graduated from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2001 and spent eight years at a busy multi-doctor practice in the Bay Area, learning everything she wanted to replicate — and a few things she was determined to do differently. In 2009, she signed a lease on a converted craftsman bungalow on Mission Blvd and opened Harlow Animal Hospital with one exam room, one vet tech, and a handwritten sign in the window.

The early years were scrappy. Dr. Harlow kept the practice lean and personal by design — she knew every client by name, knew which dogs needed extra time in the waiting room, and personally called with every lab result. Word spread. By 2012 the practice had expanded to three exam rooms and brought on a second veterinarian. By 2016, the unit next door became the boarding and grooming wing.

Today Harlow Animal Hospital sees more than 4,200 patient visits per year, has four veterinarians on staff (including a board-certified surgeon and an exotic animal specialist), and holds a 4.9-star rating across more than 1,240 Google reviews. The practice is still independently owned — no corporate group, no private equity. Dr. Harlow still does morning appointments every Tuesday and Thursday.

The handwritten sign is long gone, but the original rule — that every pet deserves a vet who listens, explains, and follows up — has never changed.