Where There’s Hope, There’s Dr. Greear
What kind of a vehicle does a dog drive? A K9 Caddy! And Dr. Lucretia Greear of the Woodhaven Animal Hospital has a whole fleet of them, aka doggie wheelchairs, for many eager and energetic, yet partially paralyzed, dogs who have waited a long time to frolic and play catch…essentially to just be a dog.
Dr. Greear, an Ohio native but graduate of MSU has been a veterinarian since 2004. Even as a young mother with small children, she was not deterred from reaching the finish line. “If you truly believe you can do it, claim it!” she states. This married mother of four sons and two German Shepherds was destined for this journey since the 2nd grade as she then proclaimed on a framed career announcement that her mother still keeps from Dr. Greear’s childhood.
Since opening the Woodhaven Animal Hospital in 2018, the daily challenges of caring for animals ranges from severe burns due to house fire rescues to a large population of dogs who are partially paralyzed and unable to walk to any and every imaginable pet ailment.
Dr. Greear and her team of heroes have a knack for making the impossible very possible. Her clinic has the only hyperbaric chamber in the state of Michigan for animals. This life-saving tool provides oxygen therapy for emergencies when the body is deprived of enough oxygen which is vital for healing.
The hyperbaric chamber, placed in its custom-designed space in the clinic, is appropriately named “Hope,” for the gifts it gives to helpless animals who may perish without it.
Greear knows this firsthand as she had a life-and-death situation where her son was revived because of hyperbaric medicine. He nearly drowned when he was three years old, and Children’s Hospital of Michigan saved her son because of this essential healing machine.
If you follow their Woodhaven Animal Hospital you will see the miracles in action. From the rescue of Lyric from a Southgate house fire to Bear, the little Yorkie who received his first set of wheelies, it’s evident that the clinic’s heart and talent is boundless.
“The more I help, the more it comes back,” states Dr. Greear when talking about these unusual rescues. Other local veterinary hospitals have joined in on many crusades to save the helpless animals, including Lyric whose body was burned nearly 70%. He is healing nicely with his new skin, thanks to the hyperbaric chamber, the staff, and the community outreach.
Bear, along with many other paralyzed dogs, now has the ability to play and frolic due to the wheelchair program. The pet owners can use the wheelies as long as needed, and the program is so successful, the wheelchairs are used over and over again helping many dogs gain their freedom to live near-normal lives.
It takes a village to make great things happen, and it takes leadership to pave the way. 
Dr. Greear’s talents mixed with the tenacity of Woodhaven’s Mayor Odette, a previous Discover Downriver Hometown Hero, brings a powerful mix to the equation. This limitless team heals and inspires the community to make a difference in the lives of pets who may have had no hope. Dr. Greear is patient-oriented and puts pets and their owners above profits because, at the end of the day, there is hope, even “when people have no hope.”
Discover Downriver is proud to honor and recognize the commitment that Dr. Greear and her team at her clinic provides to our community. We wish her well in her new practice that is officially one-year-old, and we are certain that there’s a whole fan club of grateful families join us in this sentiment.
You can see the stories of Lyric and many of the animals in the wheelchair program on their Woodhaven Animal Hospital and on their website.