Mystic — After respective careers as an oncology researcher and a Coast Guard officer, Dianne and Clayton Beal decided to do something a little different: Open their own veterinary clinic.

In January, the husband-and-wife team bought the building at 144 Whitehall Ave., which has been a veterinary clinic since 1953. Last week, they reopened what had been New England Veterinary Medical Center as Northeastern Veterinary Care Center.

"It's kind of a once-in-a-lifetime [opportunity], because we had been looking around for a place for a while and didn't think anything would come of it," Dianne said.

She is the only doctor in the clinic, while Clayton is the hospital administrator. The staff also includes two receptionists and two technicians. Its services include exams, surgery, laser therapy, nutritional counseling and travel health certificates.

Dianne has her master's degree in cell biology and worked in oncology research in the pharmaceutical industry. To get her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2010, she spent two years at the University of Edinburgh and two at Iowa State University.

Dianne did an emergency medicine internship in Virginia and then worked in North Windham for several years but found the commute "got a little bit arduous." She briefly held a job in Westerly, but then the opportunity to buy New England Veterinary Medical Center arose.

Clayton, meanwhile, served in the Coast Guard for 20 years and retired in 2011. He then spent a few years as a dock captain in Florida and got his MBA at Penn State University.

The couple, together for 25 years, don't have any human children but have a basset hound mix, a pitbull and two cats, all rescues.

Dianne said of becoming a veterinarian, "I wanted to do this for a long time. My husband was military and we moved around a lot, and it just never was the right time."

She hopes to build on her house-call practice, largely to serve retirement communities in the area. She now mostly does house calls for euthanasia visits but hopes to do them for "something happier."

In their renovations over the past several months, the Beals downsized the lab space to allow for more exam rooms, and they expanded the lobby. The clinic now has two dog exam rooms, one cat exam room, a surgery room, a new digital radiography X-ray machine, an area for dental work and oral surgery, and kennel space.

"We don't do boards normally but will do medical boards for specific cases," Clayton explained. Staying at Northeastern Veterinary Care Center on Monday were two cats – one diabetic and one with intestinal issues – whose respective parents were out of town.

Coming into the clinic for a checkup was Toby, a 9-year-old Chihuahua. He squirmed as he was taken to be weighed at the beginning of the appointment.

"He does not want to be weighed. It's bikini season," Clayton joked.

Dianne then went into an exam room with technician Susan Durfee, Toby and the dog's owner, Debra Woycik.

Woycik intermittently rattled off a list of Toby's problems. He broke his leg as a puppy and has had surgery on both knees. He has disc problems. He limps on and off throughout the day.

Toby had previously been prescribed Gabapentin for pain and hydrocodone for coughing.

"I'm sorry, sweet face," Dianne said to Toby as she heard of his ailments.

The dog is typically very anxious: He was shaking as Durfee picked him up so Dianne could get his heart rate and examine his limbs.

Woycik had been going to another veterinary clinic but said she was looking for a change. Last week she came across Northeastern Veterinary Care Center and set up an appointment.

"It's quality of life that I'm really looking for with his issues," Woycik said. "You can't really fix him, but at least you can make him comfortable."

The clinc is open Monday and Fridays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday is for house calls from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. but Beal sees pets in the clinic if she does not have house calls.   

e.moser@theday.com