On a balmy Friday evening in July 2026, This is Haslemere met the newly launched independent Haslemere Vets in their new vet practice in Shottermill. On arrival, we were greeted by two staff members. The chat at the desk could not have been warmer and was accompanied by the welcome cool air from the brilliantly functioning air conditioning in their building, Harris House, named after the previous owner, Chris Harris.

About Helen and Sophie

We met business owners, Helen and Sophie, who are the vets behind this new venture. Helen grew up in Haslemere and attended St Ives School. She had not always wanted to be a vet, initially considering medicine, but ultimately she chose to be a vet and has not looked back. Sophie, from the age of six, has always wanted to be a vet. They met in their first year at Bristol University reading Veterinary Science and it was when they raced a pair in rowing regattas in their third year that they became great friends. They also love road cycling and have done several cycling trips together. Helen owns horses and they hack together too on Blackdown. Helen smiled, “Rowing together at uni, we couldn’t have imagined back then that we would own a practice together…”

Helen has left her recent position as a clinical director in Woking to return to her roots. Sophie had been working in Brighton but she is very much a country girl and loves the countryside around Haslemere. Both are happy to leave the corporate world, and now as practice owners they are in control of all the decision making and they can effect change quickly. They feel that Haslemere Vets has fair and transparent pricing, offering good value for money with a high-quality service. It is obvious they have made a huge investment in the building and there is no question they are in this for the long haul. They are keen that they provide consistency of care and it is clear that Helen and Sophie want to provide a highly personalised service.

Every element of the operation has been planned meticulously. The company logo incorporates an image of Sophie’s dog Raffles, Helen’s three-legged cat Figgy and a small butterfly. Their company website picks up the logo which is green with a pop of orange, and their colours seep into all their online branding, uniforms and decor. Helen said, “We have extensively renovated the building and we wanted to engage with local businesses to help with design and alterations. We worked with local business owner Kim Scillitoe of LimeBlue and she helped with the design work. Local photographer Peter Searight has produced a large-scale canvas photo of Lynchmere Common for the back wall to the left of reception. Kim produced a framed animal artwork which includes our dogs and hers. A new print of cats and rabbits is in progress. We also should mention Hooli in Midhurst who built our website and helped with our online presence. Haslemere based Advance Voice and Data (who had owned the building before Chris Harris) provide our IT and comms.”

We enjoyed our tour of this lovely building which they have re-purposed stylishly and practically. There’s an in-house laboratory where they conduct routine blood tests, with more complicated tests being sent out to a lab. The practice has three large consulting rooms which, even in the early evening, were streaming with natural light. Today, they have two vets, two veterinary nurses and two receptionists. There are plans to expand when funds allow. There’s a prep room and everything feeds off this space. There are three separate kennel areas (one for surgical dogs, one for infected animals and one for cats and rabbits). There’s a dental room with dental x-ray facilities to see below the gum line, a feature that’s especially important for cats. The imaging room houses an x-ray system and ultra-sound scanner. There’s an operating theatre and also laparoscopic equipment for keyhole dog spaying.

Helen and Sophie have already been active in the community. In their early days, they handed out doggie treats at The Haslemere Charter Fair, Bark in The Park and The Fernhurst Revels and also ran an activity stand at Fernhurst Primary School. Helen beamed, “It’s been the perfect start. Everyone has been so lovely. We really feel the local Haslemere community is supporting and rooting for us.” 

And two months in, the online reviews endorse that perfect start:

We have been really impressed with the professional, attentive and friendly service we received. Our dog who unfortunately is very nervous of visiting the vets was taken very ill. Sophie was very caring and excellent at trying to reduce the stress for my dog. I was very impressed with the speed of receiving test results and also received very thorough prompt verbal feedback on all results providing me with full details. It seems this new practice really want to provide a personal service and genuinely care about the wellbeing of your pet. CT

Absolutely blown away by how lovely this place is. It's a really impressive surgery but the service is also unbeatable. They really looked after my dog when she had her op, I felt she was in very capable hands. They have also been amazingly efficient at supporting me with claiming from my pet insurance - so easy and quick to deal with. Highly recommend! FH

Really lovely Vets practice, aesthetically pleasing, clean and calm atmosphere. Friendly and professional staff, 10/10. Highly recommend 👌 CKL

Fantastic first visit with our cockapoo, all the staff seem to really care and we felt very well looked after. JP

5* service...
* Owned and run by two experienced vets, not a corporation.
* They are the cheapest in Haslemere.
* There is parking, large reception, great treatment and surgical facilities.
* Vet Helen was superb in vaccinating my two kittens- they didn't even have to be held or notice the needle, because she distracted them with food paste. NW

The vets were very kind to Phoebe and respected the fact that she is a nervous cat. Reception was excellent and welcoming. Would recommend them to anyone who loves their pets. PC & LC

Such a wonderful new vet practice - it’s a beautifully designed space, and more importantly the staff are incredibly helpful, kind and knowledgeable. We got exactly the support we needed for our cheeky ginger cat! AR

We wish this new independent business a profitable and long future in Harris House.

To contact Haslemere Vets

Harris House, Church Road, Haslemere, Surrey, GU27 1NU

Telephone: 01428 707000

Email: reception@haslemerevets.co.uk

Website: https://www.haslemerevets.co.uk/

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