About Urban Animal Care
Dr. Ellen Boyd has been interested in animals and their well-being for much of her life. Growing up in the Florida panhandle gave her a variety of habitats to explore and plenty of animals to adore. Dr. Boyd was volunteering in shelters as a teen and by the time she entered college she was assisting in conservation projects and zoos locally and abroad. Her wealth of varied experience from a young age gave her insight into the diverse needs of her patients.
Volunteering gave her plenty of experience with cats and dogs, and her Veterinary Medicine program at the University of Tennessee allowed her to learn how to care for wildlife and zoo animals as well.
While interning at the Audubon Zoo’s Center for the Research of Endangered Species in New Orleans she became an associate veterinarian and found a love of studying birds. Earning her PhD in 2007 from the University of Washington Seattle offered opportunities for fieldwork all over the West Coast and the Arctic Circle. Her dissertation focused on avian endocrinology, stress physiology, and reproduction.
Dr. Boyd went into the private practice space working with PAWS Chicago and Animal House of Chicago, Midwest Bird and Exotics, and Veterinary Emergency Group before starting her own practice.
Her practice focuses on providing inclusive, quality care to households regardless of their location. Taking the time to develop relationships with her clients allows her to better understand the care her patients need, be they feathered, furry, or scaled members of your family.
Dr. Boyd still explores the natural wilds of Chicago, and spends her free time engaged in community art projects like SheWolf and the Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade. Her Lincoln Square homestead of course homes more animals than humans, including her dog Tigger, her cat Brookly, turtles sweet potato and Dawn, and her chickens Burano, Sunburn, and Mrs Buckles.
