A Norwalk veterinary hospital that closed after the death of its longtime owner will reopen in December, restoring local animal care in Huron County under a new partnership, COVE Animal Health announced Oct. 28 in a release reported by Vet Candy.
Norwalk Veterinary Medical Center will reopen as part of the Animal Clinic Northview hospital network, keeping its original name and community identity, the announcement said. The hospital had served Norwalk-area pet owners for decades under Dr. Ronald Hendrikson, who built it into an AAHA-accredited practice before his passing led to its closure.
Animal Clinic Northview, based in North Ridgeville, has served the region since 1977 and is itself AAHA-accredited, offering 24-hour emergency care, general medicine, reproductive services, rehabilitation, advanced diagnostics, dentistry and orthopedic surgery, according to the announcement. COVE Animal Health, which grew out of the nearly 90-year history of Pieper Veterinary, expanded into Ohio in 2025 through its partnership with Northview.
When the doors reopen, the hospital is expected to offer general veterinary services including preventive and wellness care, sick visits, routine surgical procedures and dental care, the announcement said — services Norwalk pet owners have had to travel out of town to find since the closure.
The reopening is framed by its backers as a legacy story as much as a business one: rather than rebranding the practice, the partners say the goal is to preserve what Dr. Hendrikson built while giving the hospital access to the clinical expertise and operational support of a larger veterinarian-led network.
For a city the size of Norwalk, a hometown veterinary hospital is also an employer and a daily-life staple, and its return removes a gap that local pet owners have felt since the practice went dark.
What happens next is the December reopening itself. Pet owners who were clients of the former practice, and new clients, can watch for appointment and records information from Norwalk Veterinary Medical Center and Animal Clinic Northview as the reopening date approaches.
The announcement did not name a specific December opening date or staffing numbers, and it did not say whether the hospital will resume the full range of hours it kept under Dr. Hendrikson. Those details are expected from the practice as the reopening gets closer, and former clients with records on file are expected to be contacted through the Northview network.
Photo: Kirk Allen, CC BY