Gentle Doctor Animal Hospital, formerly known as Mapleview Animal Clinic, was founded in 1965 by Dr. T. Robert Bashara. The practice was first located at 9015 Ohio Street in Omaha, Nebraska. Dr. Bashara worked as a single practitioner of veterinary medicine there until 1981 when he hired his first associate. As Omaha grew, so did the need for veterinary services further west. Dr. Bashara opened a second veterinary hospital in 1985 at 120th and Blondo, which was then called Candlewood Animal Hospital. After a few years, and substantial growth, a third associate was hired. Both hospitals kept three full-time associates very busy for the next few years, and in 1997, Dr. Peter Bashara, a recent Iowa State Veterinary Medicine graduate and the son of Dr. Bashara, returned to Omaha and joined the family business. Omaha's continuing westward expansion once again required the need for veterinary services, and construction began to build a state-of-the-art veterinary hospital on the outskirts of the city. In 1999 the Gentle Doctor Animal Hospital was opened by Dr. Bashara and his son Dr. Peter Bashara at 153rd and Maple in the Torrey Pines shopping center. The business continued to grow and currently has 44 professional and non-professional employees.