Dr. Ackerman opened the hospital in 1986, with the goal of promoting the health and well-being of companion animals and horses. She is married to dear husband, Gary, and has two adult sons, who both grew up in 4-H. Jared now works in the field of livestock production, and Dustin is a firefighter. The family has four cool horses- Breeze and Mikey (who love to go trail riding), a pony named Sparky, and a cute-cute-cute miniature horse named Splash. They also have two dogs, both rescues- Nikko, the Australian Shepherd, and Lucy (who knows?). Outside the office, Dr. Ackerman enjoys nature photography, and (along with her husband) trail riding, hiking, fishing, home improvement projects, and scuba diving.