SUMMER 2021 | LAKE OCONEE LIVING 55
In 2009, he had the opportunity to buy a practice
in Madison from the estate of a beloved local
doctor. Jamie says he almost named the clinic All
Creatures Great and Small, but decided against it
after seeing many of the same name already out
there.
The Williams operated Main Street Vet out of
the existing clinic before eventually outgrowing
the space. In 2015, they began construction on a
new clinic on property they owned off Eatonton
Road, just outside of Madison’s historic downtown
district, and opened the doors on the new building
in 2016.
And, they haven’t stopped since. Construction is
once again underway on The Lodge at Main Street
Vet, an additional space behind the clinic that will
be dedicated to boarding and grooming. Construction
is expected to be complete in October.
They’ve welcomed three additional vets to their
team over the years – Dr. Mark Hibbard, Dr.
Christy Stancil, and Dr. Mary Peter.
In his youth, Williams identified with the protagonist
of “All Things Great and Small” – a brighteyed
new vet, working under a cantankerous doctor,
set in his ways and unmoving until the younger
doctor is able to prove himself.
Now, Williams is cast in the role of mentor,
though he likes to think he goes about it a different,
less grumpy, way. Main Street Vet offers work study
programs with Morgan County High School and
internship programs with the University of Georgia
vet school and Athens Tech vet technician school.
“He is a big believer in honest, gentle mentoring,”
says Jamie.
Williams strictly devotes every other Tuesday to
mentoring his staff and being on hand to answer
questions and assist in their progress. “He’s moved
into that role now,” says Jamie. “He’s been on both
sides – he came in under seasoned vets and now
he’s in the stage where he can share what he’s
learned over the years.”
Williams, perhaps subconsciously, incorporated
many of those early lessons from Herriot and his
books into his own practice. He can still remember
certain stories clearly, stories that no doubt
informed his future in veterinary medicine.
“There’s a story about euthanasia – he has to go
and put an old sheepdog down – and the way he
captures that moment, it’s like you were there,” says
Williams. “And you are there if you love animals
and if you’ve ever been through that, you’re there.
I encourage anyone to read that story and not shed
a tear.”
Williams brings this compassion into all facets of
Main Street Vet and even immortalized it in the
clinic’s mission statement. Part of it reads:
“May our service be a ray of light and comfort,
from nose to toes, beginning to end, inside and
out... thus honoring, protecting, and promoting the
gift of the human/animal bond.”
James Herriot couldn’t have put it better himself.
Natalie Scoggins, who
also made her way
to Morgan County
from the U.K., and
her son, William, 3,
consult with Dr. James
Williams at Main
Street Vet about her
recent rescue, Max.
Scoggins previously
lived on a farm in
Rutledge filled with
all animals great and
small. Max, she says,
is much easier.