10 Aug 2026
Opening his own practice and creating a “beautiful space” for both clients to visit and clinicians to work in had been a long-standing vision for vet Jason Way. In 2023, that vision finally took shape when Whisker & Woof opened for business and, as VBJ discovered when we paid a visit, Jason has brought his dream to life in spectacular style…
VBJ
Job Title
Staff: full-time vets 1 | registered veterinary nurses 3 | practice administrators 2 Fees: initial consult £73 | follow-up £73
At first glance, it’s not easy to recognise Whisker & Woof as a veterinary practice amid the cafes, galleries and health shops on Lee Road in the leafy London suburb of Blackheath.
Sandwiched between an upscale European cafe and a private chiropractic health centre, with its midnight blue paint job and old gold signage above a large glass frontage, from the outside it fits in perfectly with the other trendy businesses in this trendy part of town.
A former art gallery before its transformation, Whisker & Woof looks more like a high-end boutique, an impression that only grows when stepping into what can only be described as its sumptuous reception space.
Parquet flooring lends an immediate quality feel, while leather-backed sofas and chairs and a profusion of exotic plants transport clients into another world from the bustle of the high street outside.
The carefully curated feel of the practice is further underlined by the painted caricatures of dogs, cats and other pets in gilt-edged frames that adorn the colour-coded walls and add a sense of playful decadence to the decor.
However, Whisker & Woof is no mere confection designed to pander to the aesthetic tastes of urban pet owners; this is a serious clinical facility, as Jason explained.
He said: “I had always wanted to own my own practice, and when I was finally able to do it, I wanted to create a beautiful environment that the clients, the staff and myself can really enjoy.
“I think it’s really important. If you go to a restaurant and you’re having a lovely meal, and you go into the bathroom and it’s shabby or dirty, it kind of ruins the experience. And I think that’s true for the vet’s. We want to delight our clients and our staff; I wanted to build a practice that would do that.
“We all take huge pride in the place, and everyone is invested in working here, but that is more to do with the standard of veterinary care we can offer than the fact we have jungle print wallpaper and golden taps in the bathroom.
“We were the first practice in London to achieve Zero Pain accreditation and, while people do seem to love the practice and the way it looks and feels, our success has been built on offering the highest standards of veterinary medicine.”
Having qualified from the RVC in 1996, Jason worked in a variety of practices in the Cambridgeshire area before moving south, including a four-year spell at the Forest Veterinary Centre in Epping, where he achieved his certificate in small animal medicine.
He then travelled through Australia and New Zealand before returning to the UK and a spell locuming, an experience that gave Jason the chance to see the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of different veterinary practices while developing his clinical skills and learning “to stand on his own two feet”.
Spells as an employed vet across the London area then followed, and 12 years ago there was a tentative attempt at opening his own place, but those plans ultimately came to nothing.
The dream never died, however, and following the corporate takeover of the independent practice he was working in at the time, Jason knew the time had finally come to grasp the nettle and strike out on his own.
He said: “I was entering that second stage of my career and I just didn’t want to be working for anyone else anymore.
“So, I put together a really good business plan and worked with an excellent broker to get the finance I needed for the practice.
“I knew I wanted it to be in Blackheath, as I had lived here for almost 20 years at that point and just loved it and felt there was room for another independent vet to offer that true high standard of care – that bridge between general practice and referral.”
Split across two-and-a-half floors, the two consult rooms sit behind the reception area with a door leading out to an open landing area where the dispensary is located to the left – “floating” above the stairwell to utilise space – with the rather impressive toilets and extra storage to the right.
Steps lead down to an open space split between the lab and an office/refreshment area, which is separated from the clinical flow of the practice via a glass wall. On the same level, towards the back of the building, is where the dental suite, dog ward, isolation area and a utility room are located.
But despite this being the back end, it is hard to escape the impression that Whisker & Woof looks and feels like it has sprung from the pages of a design portfolio.
With a love of art and design, Jason has employed his impeccable eye for detail to create a facility that blends wonderful, innovative design with modern, cutting-edge veterinary medicine.
The whole building has been designed to maximise clinical flow, with a further set of stairs leading down to the bottom floor, which houses the cat ward, a large prep area, imaging suite and surgical theatre enveloped in floor to ceiling glass – complete with Whisker & Woof branding.
As well as his small animal medicine certificate, Jason – who is currently sole vet – is a seasoned all-rounder with special interests in ultrasound and endoscopy who can handle pretty much anything that comes through the door.
To support that clinical ambition, he has all the equipment he needs at his fingertips, while – as the Zero Pain accreditation implies – the practice has a strong focus on advanced pain management and welfare as part of every patient’s treatment plan.
Jason added: “When we have the clients come in, we really do take our time, build a relationship with them, connect with them, and then take responsibility for their pet’s health care journey.
“They’re not just coming in and having the vaccine and walking out; I’m going to make sure we’re picking up on heart murmurs, arthritis, dental disease, and finding the space and time to make those health care recommendations for the client and the pet.
“Our USP was being an independent, family owned practice with that real one-to-one personal kind of care.
“And, of course, it’s not just me delivering that; I have an incredible team of RVNs, receptionists and support team; I see it as a kind of triad.
“You have the owners, the pets and the practice team and that all has to be in harmony for this to work. We have an incredible practice environment around us, but it does take time and constant assessment to keep it all in balance.
“As you get further along into your career, you realise that while your clinical skills and knowledge are hugely important, it’s as much about the people, the owners and your colleagues, and relating to them and connecting with them.”
Jason’s partner Laura, an RVN, is also a big part of the Whisker & Woof team. She played a fundamental role in the design and layout, and serves as the practice manager, although these duties have been somewhat curtailed of late by the birth of the couple’s second child, six months ago.
It’s a lot to juggle and Jason has recently begun to consider the possibility of adding a second vet to the team to free up the time he needs to keep his business thriving in an extremely competitive part of the world.
Like a lot of practices, Whisker & Woof offers a tiered health care plan, but Jason has plans to evolve this offering to keep his practice as competitive as possible against a growing number of practices all competing for the hard-won pet pound.
Jason said: “There are a lot of practices around here and more opening, too, so we just need to keep an eye on what we are doing and make sure we stay ahead of the game and true to our values.
“It’s a lot of work, but it is enjoyable work, and being able to make my own decisions and build an amazing team here has been hugely rewarding.
“Of course, you can never stand still, and I might look at opening another site at some point in the future, but I’m just very proud to be here, and if we stay as one site, we stay as one site.
“My focus is the same as it has always been, and that is to provide the best veterinary care in a beautiful environment, and I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved.”
Find out more about the practice here.
