Pet Services in Valrico

Four times a week, the Sanford Orlando Kennel Club unleashes its greyhound dogs for live, competitive contests with up to 16 races per day. Spectators can nosh trackside on savory American fare or wander the grandstand or clubhouse between heats while gazing at the tidy midfield and lush foliage framing the track. A full card of simulcast racing compliments the live action. On monitors throughout the club, nationwide greyhound, thoroughbred, and harness races beam in stretch runs and photo finishes. Once a week, amateur poker players assemble at tables overlooking the track, hoping to win a slot at a monthly or regional tournament, or to get the rare opportunity to play cards with a dog.

The Sanford Orlando Kennel Club nurtures their canine athletes long after retirement with the Adopt a Greyhound program. The initiative places dogs into loving homes with the help of four area adoption agencies, who also find school-bus-driver vacancies for retired stock-car drivers.

Dr. Josh Kindred and his team of pet-loving vet technicians have dedicated their small practice to providing personalized care for each critter they see. Recognized as an accredited practice by the American Animal Hospital Association, Kindred's intimate care center handles an array of diagnostic and treatment procedures, including laser surgery, x-rays and ultrasounds, dental care, and immunizations. Dr. Josh and crew also host overnight guests for owners traveling out of town, providing supervised care in a climate-controlled kennel. During their stay, pets can safely frolic and share plates of spaghetti in the outdoor enclosure of the recently added play area. While pups romp around the grass, staffers keep their well-trained eyes peeled for behavioral changes, allowing each fuzzy face to enjoy a safe and pleasant residency.

The echoes of clopping hooves have echoed across KC Training Center’s expansive meadows for more than two decades. The family-owned equestrian facility’s professional trainers have kept busy during that time, boarding and training local horses and breeding IBHA World Champion Red Dun steeds. When they aren’t brushing manes or conducting whinnied operas in the barn, the trainers saddle up alongside greenhorn riders to teach them the fundamentals of trotting, jumping, and pulling stagecoaches.

At Myakka River Ranch, a herd of majestic horses lets visitors feel the liberating rush of flying through the grass atop a sturdy saddle. Among the stable's friendly inhabitants, an American Saddlebred performs tricks, an American Paint Horse frolics in the ranch's streams, and an Akhal-Teke mare—descended from the strong, golden horses bred in Persia more than 3,000 years ago—gallops in the outdoor arena. Along with lessons that impart the basics of English-style riding, Myakka's staff leads trail rides amid the scenic landscape, where majestic oak trees and open fields distract the horses from exploring the local sugar-cube quarry.