By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–There will be a changing of the guard in the coming weeks at Mineral Wells Animal Clinic in Paris, but the heart and soul of the clinic will remain the same.
Clinic Founder Dr. Chuck Lyons is preparing to step aside, with Dr. Chad Edwards and Dr. Tyler Davis set to forge ahead with ownership of the practice. But the popular Dr. Lyons will still continue to work there on a reduced work load.
Dr. Edwards, who bought half of the practice to partner with Dr. Lyons in 2008, said, “We’ll be continuing the same philosophy that Mineral Wells Animal Clinic has had since its beginning. Things will be the same. We’ve always treated the animals like they’re our own and we always will.”
Dr. Lyons said, “I always had planned that when I reached retirement age—or sooner—that I would bring in someone who would want to buy into the practice. Then I could mentor them into the position to do that. And it all came down to timing.”
Dr. Lyons will be requiring knee replacement surgery shortly and knew the time was right for his plans.
Dr. Edwards had already bought half of the practice and Dr. Davis had already worked at Mineral Wells a few years ago, so Dr. Lyons already had him in mind for buying the other half of the practice when the time came.
Chad and Samantha Edwards have become popular doctors at Mineral Wells and have been a good fit with the philosophy of the clinic, as was Davis during his time there.
Dr. Davis is from Gallatin and had already gained a deep personal connection to the local area when he had previously worked at Mineral Wells—Paris is where he found his future wife, Katie Beth Glover. Dr. Davis is a 2017 University of Tennessee graduate and said it was his dream to branch out on his own.
“After we got married, we went to Knoxville for a couple of years and I had it in my mind that I wanted ownership of a clinic if we could find the right situation,” Dr. Davis said. “And as luck would have it, things led us right back to our Paris family. Like Chuck said before, it all came down to timing.”
Dr. Lyons said, “Tyler is a good fit and Chad was a good fit. Everything came together.”
Both Dr. Davis and Dr. Edwards noted they already had developed a good working relationship when Davis worked at Mineral Wells earlier.
A native of Gibson County, Dr. Edwards met his future wife Samantha at veterinary school (she is from east Tennessee). “We first moved to Pennsylvania and worked there, then came back to the area, moving to Dover, where I worked and Samantha started working here at Mineral Wells at that time,” he said.
Of course, Dr. Lyons is a familiar face to Henry Countians not only through his veterinary practice, but through his participation in community activities, such as the county fair.
He opened his Paris practice in April of 1983, first being located on Russell Street, then moving a short while later to a building on Mineral Wells Ave. (behind the present Army recruiting office). The practice moved to its present location at 1116 Volunteer Dr. in June of 1996.
His philosophy always featured both large and small animals, with the care of farm animals being as much a part of the practice as household pets. “We’ve always made farm calls, from the very beginning,” Dr. Lyons said.
He employed his first doctor in 1987 and by 1994, had hired his third doctor.
Dr. Lyons said he’s dedicated his whole life to the clinic and wanted to make sure that when this time came, he would be leaving the practice in good hands. “And that’s exactly where we are now. I wanted to leave the practice to people who felt the way I do about the treatment of animals. I wanted caring people and wanted them to be the kind of people who are supportive of animals’ lives. I didn’t just want people who were in it for the money.”
With Dr. Edwards and Dr. Davis, he said, “I know I found what I was looking for and the practice will be in good hands.”
Photo: From left, Dr. Davis, Dr. Lyons and Dr. Edwards in front of the sign at the Mineral Wells Animal Clinic. Shannon McFarlin photo.