For her fifth birthday, Lori Milot asked for a dog.

Her birthday came and went, and she didn't get one.But she didn't give up hoping; instead, she decided she'd keep asking, every day, until she got one."I was that adventurous kid that brought every critter home," she said. "So it's the old cliché, that I knew what I wanted to be from the time that I was little."What Lori Milot wanted to be was a veterinarian.The Tamaqua native and Marian High School graduate achieved that goal, continuing her education first at Muhlenberg College and Ross University before finishing her clinical rotation at Texas A & M. For about 11 years she had worked as a veterinarian a Quakertown Animal Hospital.Soon it was time for the second part of the childhood dream the first was to become a veterinarian, and the second was to return to her hometown area.Then the Medical Arts Building, located near the intersection of routes 309 and 54, Hometown, became available. Remodeling is nearly complete; Milot hopes to open by May 18, her birthday. The practice will be called Rush Veterinary Center."I have a full staff of people, ready to go," Milot said. "I think the location is very central, to Tamaqua, Hazleton, Jim Thorpe; just offering very reasonable access for a number of people."Milot's practice will focus on companion animals, dogs and cats.Once the practice is open, she'll offer Saturday hours. Although she won't be including care for exotic pets when the practice opens, it's not something she rules out in the future.It's also her goal to be able to offer emergency services.Milot has spent the last year working in the emergency department of the Quakertown Animal Hospital. "That will develop as the business grows," she said.Since graduation from vet school, and working for 11 years in the field, Milot has seen the veterinary field evolving as the amount of knowledge steadily increases."There's a greater understanding of diseases, their cause and cure, with advanced procedures and greater diagnostics," she said. "The field is evolving every day."Milot also is a proponent of spaying and neutering animals, and a supporter of animal rescue work. She hopes to offer spay/neuter clinics."When you think of the problem of pet overpopulation, and how big that problem is, it's hard to think you can make a dent," Milot said."But I believe you can, one by one."Milot has owned numerous dogs, including the three mixed breeds she currently has."People will do anything for their pets," Milot said. "I love my own dogs, so I understand how that feels."Milot and her husband, Michael Gramer, have two children, Emma and Alex.The phone number for the Hometown Vet Clinic will be 570-668-1222.