Plenty of animal hospitals change hands. A corporate group buys the building, the sign stays the same, and the doctors start rotating through. You notice it the day a stranger walks into the exam room holding your pet's chart.
That has never happened here. Blue Cross opened in 1942, when Dr. Sova's grandfather came out of vet school and started caring for the pets of the neighborhood he grew up in. His reputation traveled well past Paterson. He was the veterinarian for J. Fred Muggs, a nationally known chimpanzee, and when the circus came to town, its animals were in his care.
He died suddenly, still a young man, and the hospital sat closed for years. His son had grown up in it and knew the family trade was his. Dr. Sova Sr. re-opened Blue Cross in 1970, and clients from years past walked back through the door. In 1993, Dr. Paul Sova finished vet school and became the third generation of Sova veterinarians in this practice. He owns it today. The people who answer the phone, hold your dog on the table, and call you with results work for this family, in this building, for this neighborhood.
Being owner-run changes the small things you feel at every visit. There is no corporate parent and no quota deciding what gets recommended. When Dr. Sova suggests a test or a treatment, it comes from what your animal needs, and you talk it through before anything is done.
Because the practice stays in one family's hands, your pet's history stays in one place. The visits, the vaccines, the medication that did not sit right, the lump you asked about two years ago. It is all in one chart, held by a team that recognizes you when you walk in. You never start over with a stranger.
That is why families who came here as kids now bring their own dogs and cats. One of our longest clients, Cathy C., has been coming for more than 30 years.
Two veterinarians, one steady team, one record for your animal.
Owner of Blue Cross. The third generation of Sova veterinarians, in the practice his grandfather opened in 1942. He sees patients here every week.
Meet Dr. Sova →Associate veterinarian. Dr. Caba Paulino is the doctor who catches the thing you didn't notice. She doesn't rush, and she doesn't assume. If something is off with your pet, she will find it.
Meet Dr. Caba Paulino →The practice has served Paterson's animals across three generations, including rabies clinics and work with the city. That story has its own page.
The people who answer the phone and greet you at the door stay, year after year. Walking in feels like coming back to a place, never like starting over at one.
New clients are welcome. Request a time and we will call you back to schedule.