Dr. Alissa Anderson
DVM, CHPV, cVMA
(Owner/Hospice Veterinarian)

Dr. Alissa Anderson grew up in south-central Texas. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Psychology from Hendrix College. In 2014 she graduated from Oklahoma State University with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. She then started her veterinary career as an equine veterinarian at a referral practice in North Texas. From there she transitioned to a mixed animal practice, where she discovered that she really enjoyed working with all kinds of animals, including small animals! Being a mixed animal vet, she was used to making farm/house calls and quickly found out just how much in home end-of-life care can mean to families. Alissa next practiced with a small mobile veterinary practice learning how best to provide exceptional euthanasia and hospice services to dogs and cats. In early 2020, she moved to the upstate of South Carolina to found Faithful Hearts and provide these much needed services, and she is proud to have been the FIRST veterinarian to provide in home hospice veterinary care locally.

Alissa believes as a doctor one should always strive to learn and improve skills through continuing education and training. She has completed advanced training in companion animal euthanasia, including especially difficult euthanasias, and is CAETA-certified. Alissa has completed a 15-month+ post-doctoral training program for certification in veterinary end-of-life care including hospice & palliative care and home euthanasia (as of the beginning of 2024, there are about 300 of these end-of-life specialty-focused veterinarians in the world currently) through the IAAHPC! She has also completed a year of post-doctoral acupuncture studies and hands on training to be able to offer this pharmaceutical-free therapy to her hospice patients!

Certifications:

CHPV (Certified Hospice and Palliative Veterinarian) through the IAAHPC
cVMA (Certified in Veterinary Medical Acupuncture)
CPEV (Certified Peaceful Euthanasia Veterinarian) through CAETA (exp 2/7/25)
VBMC (Certified Veterinary Botanical Medicine Consultant)
Pet Loss Partners Pet Loss Bereavement Specialist
HABRI Human-Animal Bond (lapsed)

Personally, Alissa has been through the end of life care and decision processes with her own pets, and she deeply believes that top-quality end-of-life care in the home should be available to all pets and their owners. A peaceful passing is the greatest act of kindness we can show our beloved animals when it's time and often humane euthanasia is the best choice to provide this peaceful transition. She has been dedicated to providing exclusively end-of-life veterinary care for over 5 years now.

Certified Peaceful Euthanasia Veterinarian Badge

The MOST advanced and up-to-date training by choice, combined with years of experience and the passion to offer the best end-of-life care, including in home hospice, in home euthanasia, OR comfort room euthanasia, to senior pets in the upstate at the most fragile time in their lives.

Blake Anderson
(General Manager)

Blake works full time keeping Faithful Hearts running smoothly so we can help as many pets and families as possible! This includes driving anywhere from 6-12+ hours a day for appointments, as well as helping with phone calls and comforting pet owners throughout their final journeys with their beloved pets.

Blake and Alissa have been married since 2010 and he has always supported her passion for veterinary medicine and having a small zoo of household pets. Blake has prior management experience in the real estate industry and has also owned and managed a saltwater aquatics company. Blake is a devoted fellow caregiver to their menagerie, and truly understands the strength of the human-animal bond.

Melissa
(Office Manager)

For over 2 years Blake and Alissa managed the phone with almost 24/7 availability. As we grew that became more challenging, as we spend a lot of our time in appointments or driving in areas with poor service. Unfortunately, that meant the number of calls we missed grew. And we were struggling with exhaustion often as well. We KNOW how hard it is to make the phone call, leaving a voicemail can feel impossible, and waiting to hear back is awful too. So, when our friend Melissa became available to help in 2022, we were so excited to have someone we felt would be a great, caring addition to the team. Melissa has actually been in the veterinary field for longer than Alissa! In fact, she played a role in making Alissa in to the veterinarian she is today, helping her survive her first year out in an intense internship. She is a fellow pet lover and knows what pet loss feels like. We are grateful to have her help!!!

Ben
(Business & Aftercare Manager)

Ben grew up in south central Texas. He has extensive previous retail management experience and understands how important attention to every detail is. Having grown up with a future veterinarian in an animal-filled home, Ben also understands every pet is an irreplaceable family member to be treated with love and respect at every step.

Amanda
(Grief Support)

Amanda is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) and since 2023 she has been facilitating our Pet Loss Support Group Zoom meetings (offered 1-2x/month in 2024) to provide a safe space for those in need of support. We are so thankful she has been willing to offer this help to families!

Amanda's unique and diverse background allows her to understand and recognize the complex physical and emotional difficulties that occur throughout a lifespan, especially after an untimely loss. As an avid animal lover, Amanda understands first hand that the loss of a pet can hurt just as much (and sometimes more) as the loss of a person. Her deep understanding of heartbreak that can follow the loss of a pet inpsired Amanda to pursue her Veterinary Social Work certification through the University of Tennessee - Knoxville.