Veterinary medicine has its beginnings on the South Fork soon after William W. Bennett of Sag Harbor completed his studies at Cornell in 1906.  Dr. Bennett returned to Long Island to live in Sag Harbor and began to practice in his native area of the East End.  He traveled about the South Fork in horse and buggy, caring mostly for cattle and carriage horses. 
            In 1929, Dr. Bennett established the East Hampton Animal Hospital right where it exists today at 22 Montauk Highway.  (His residence was the nice, big, white house with green shutters that stood in front of the animal hospital for many years until it was moved to Dunemere Farm in the 1980’s.)  Two years after setting up the practice in East Hampton, Dr. William W. Bennett died in 1941.
            The ensuing owner of the East Hampton Animal Hospital, Dr. Al Pontick had recently graduated from the veterinary medical school at Cornell in 1939 and had worked for a short time in Rochester before coming to Long Island, practicing in nearby Calverton.  Dr. Pontick came to 22 Montauk Highway in East Hampton to become the second owner of the South Fork’s only veterinary practice.
            During the forties and fifties, the East Hampton practiced grew steadily (records show 12% per year), with new dog and cat part of the practice accounting for the most of this growth.  By 1954, Dr. Al Pontick needed help.  Herb French graduated that year from the veterinary medical school at Cornell and soon thereafter became the third veterinarian to practice at 22 Montauk Highway.
            Next veterinarian on the South Fork was a young man who had grown up on the East End, born in Montauk, the son of a local dairy farmer who had worked at the East Hampton Animal Hospital after school and weekends.  Dr. Charlie Gould completed his DVM degree at Cornell in 1959.  After working briefly in Connecticut, Dr. Gould “returned home” and formed a financial partnership with Dr. Pontick.  Together they built the Olde Towne Animal Hospital in nearby Southampton in 1965.  For a few years, the two practices functioned as a partnership with Dr. Pontick and Dr. Gould spending time in both facilities each week.  
            By this time, in the mid 1960’s, the so-called “small animals” (dog and cat) business was growing exponentially and had surpassed the horse and cattle patients of the rural east end of Long Island.  In the late sixties, three veterinarians (Pontick, Gould and French) had busy veterinary practice: two clinics for dogs and cats and all of the farm animals and horses east of the Shinnecock canal to care for.   Remember: until 1980, between Southampton and Montauk there were at least six working dairy farms, one thoroughbred breeding ranch, and countless backyard farmsteads.
            When the sixties ended, Olde Towne and East Hampton animal hospitals concluded their relationship.  Drs. Pontick and French became partners in East Hampton and Dr. Gould was joined at Olde Towne by Dr. Jim Ingraham in 1972.
            The continued care of the farm animals in the area remained a problem for the two practices.  In 1969, Dr. Dale Tarr graduated from Cornell Veterinary Medical School and joined Drs. Pontick and French at the East Hampton Animal Hospital, specifically to help with the “large animals” and to work in the winter when French and Pontick went to Florida.  Within two years, Dale Tarr became the third member of the East Hampton partnership.  The practice in East Hampton was by now 80% dog and cat while Olde Towne gave up caring for cattle and horses all together.
            In 1976, Dr. Ton Rothwell graduated from Cornell and joined the triumvirate of veterinarians in East Hampton; Al Pontick was by now working only part time in the summer months.  A new animal trend was occurring in the area in the seventies in the East Hampton/ Southampton area; the prosperous weekend community increasingly rode hunter/jumper English-saddled horses and competed in the many shows that occurred all summer “up-island”.   Riding stables and equitation academies began to appear throughout the South Fork.  Local equestrians revived the historical Hampton Classic Horse and it returned to the pasture of Dunemere Farm (formally Sherrill’s dairy farm), premiering in the summer of 1978.  The dairy farms and workhorses of Dr. Bennett had all but disappeared on the East End of Long Island, but by 1980 the East Hampton practice had a growing horse population to care for.  In 1978, Dr. Tom Rothwell formed a new partnership with French and Tarr and the practice changed to its present name: East Hampton Veterinary Group. 
            Dr. Paul Hollander came to the East Hampton practice in 1996 after studying in Italy and working in France.  By now the East Hampton practice had downsized a bit, having given up the large animal work after 50 years of caring for horse and cattle.  Drs. Hollander, Rothwell and Tarr worked together and the practice prospered.  Dr. Rothwell left for Columbia University in 1998, and Dr. Hollander formed a new partnership with Dr. Tarr, who died in 2004.  Today, Dr. Paul Hollander is the owner of the oldest veterinary practice on the East End, located at 22 Montauk Highway for almost 70 years.  His associated, Dr. Kenneth Palmer and Dr. Sarah Alward continue to provide the best medical and surgical care on the East End.