Dr. Matthew Taccone has always had a love for animals, but it wasn’t until after he graduated from college that he figured out that taking care of animals is what he was meant to do.

Taccone grew up in Selma and graduated from Morgan Academy before completing his undergraduate at Auburn University, taking a year off and going back to get his doctorate in veterinarian medicine.

But coming back to Selma was always the plan.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do from there, so I took a year off and decided I wanted to go to vet school,” Taccone said. “I got in [to veterinarian school] with the intention of coming back here. Selma has always been good to me, and I think I’ve always wanted to come back here.”

To be able to get into the school at Auburn, Taccone had to have hours of work put in, so he started helping out at Northside Animal Hospital and developed a relationship with Dr. Lee Youngblood, who has since retired, and Dr. Mike Wells.

“I got to know Dr. Youngblood and Dr. Wells here and was close to them. When I decided to go back to vet school they were my mentors,” Taccone said.

“I came to work here every summer and even during vet school I came back here. It’s always where I wanted to come back to.”

Being a vet can be rewarding, but it can also be hard in certain situations, but Taccone said loving his jobs gets him through the hard days.

“Being in a small-town veterinarian practice has its ups and downs, but I love this community,” he said. “You see people at their best when they get a new puppy, and, unfortunately, at the worst when they have to say goodbye. I wish it was all kittens and puppies and all the good things, but we have to go through some bad times with clients, but the biggest thing is I get to do what I love every day which is taking care of animals.”

Taccone said the job keeps him on his toes as he never knows what situation he’ll be put in day to day.

“It’s an interesting profession,” Taccone said. “You never know what’s going to walk in that front door. I’ve had some surprises already in two months.”

But overall, Taccone said he is just happy to be at the hospital and doing something that he loves.

“I’m very fortunate to be part of this,” he said. “Selma’s got a great history of veterinarians, and I’m proud to continue on that tradition.