Dr. Dori Slater Vance

Dori Slater Vance’s lifelong passion for all animals led her to her career in veterinary medicine. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of California, Davis, and spent nearly 20 years in the veterinary field. She was an influential advisory committee member to the SPCALA as they built their no-kill shelter in Long Beach, and has worked on the design of number animal shelters. Dori has been married to her husband Jack Vance for 25 years, and together they have two Australian Shepherds, six rescue cats, and even a rescue tortoise! In her free time she loves to garden, cook, and considers herself a life-long learner, with particular interests in animal behavior, pet therapy, holistic medicine, and photography. Dori is a strong proponent of FACE’s mission to assist animals and families in need. When she was in college, her beloved cat suffered a spiral tibia fracture and she did not have any money at all. She has been on both sides of the veterinary table… an owner desperate to get her pet help, with nowhere to turn, as well as a veterinarian who knows the strain and sadness of trying to help people with animals with a treatable condition, yet no resources. “Serving on the Board of FACE will be an opportunity for me to help others in those situations, and enrich all the lives of people and their animals.”

“As a practicing veterinarian there is nothing more heartbreaking than a client that is faced with euthanizing their beloved pet for a treatable problem that they simply can not afford. FACE was formed to help people and their animals that find themselves in that horrendous situation. It could be a chihuahua that fell off the bed playing with the children, a cat that slipped out an open door and got attacked by the neighbor dogs, a dog that jumped out of the car and got hit by passing car, a cat swallows a threaded sewing needle, a rattlesnake bite. The list goes on, all unforeseeable events, not in the budget, and it is now a desperate time.

FACE is unique in that we help animals that have already found their forever homes, but  may not survive the medical emergency. We network with the veterinarian, the owner, and our people to determine a reasonable plan and fee for the treatment and care, and everyone shares the cost as they are able. We unite people who are all working to provide help so that this animal and owner bond will not be broken, the pet is returned to continue to share the love of their lives. It is a relationship that makes lives better, happier, healthier, and does make the world a better place. When these people realize that FACE can save their pet, their appreciation is boundless and they pass that forward to others. I am proud to be a part of FACE, and show the world that when people work together, amazing things can happen.”