Meet Dr. Jan Bellows, DVM, DIPL, AVDC, ABVP— dvm360’s Dentistry Veterinary Hero award winner and one of just 190 veterinary dentists in the U.S. Whether he’s at Hometown Animal Hospital and All Pets Dental in Florida, or running marathons, Dr. Bellows is all about taking on new challenges.

We asked him 15 “Would You Rather?” questions to really get a glimpse into this life —both in and outside of the clinic. Here’s what we learned:

1. Would you rather be able to fly or read minds? Fly... It would be so neat to get a drone's view of my world.

2. Loyal dog or mysterious cat? Loyal dog… few things better… the eyes 👀! (and teeth 🦷)

3. Marathon or Ironman 🏃? Marathon… in 1986 after running the Marine Corps marathon, I decided not to do another one, then after missing the training I signed up for more and more (89 so far)

4. Crocs or sneakers? HOKAs, so comfortable … Bondi 8’s walking and running or just standing at work 👟

5. Book or podcast? 🎧📚 Audible books to run with (free through Libby) and earbuds

6. Do you start your day with coffee or tea? Coffee for sure, about 30 years ago, I tried to give it up on vacation …after two days of headaches I changed my mind ☕️

7. Photography or reading? Photography 📸... so much to learn so much fun

   

8. Fractured tooth or oral mass? Fractured tooth… either remove or root canal with 95% success rate 😊

9. Early morning surgery or late-night ER shift 🕛? Neither…mid-day works best for me

10. Root canal on a small dog or an extraction on a large breed? Extraction of large breed... easier to work with.

11. Clean a full mouth of plaque or extract a tooth? Clean a full mouth so the dog or cat keeps its healthy teeth (or) remove unhealthy teeth so the dog or cat can enjoy a pain free oral cavity.

12. Preventive care or restorative dentistry? Preventative care… works so well when started early. Our 11-year-old pointer has all of her teeth with little to no recession thanks to daily wipes and two VOHC accepted chews daily

13. Puppy breath or kitten purrs? Puppy breath... nothing like it 🐶💨

    

14. Canine dental cleanings or feline dental cleanings 🦷🐾? Canine dental cleaning more nooks and crannies.

15. Gingival overgrowth or periodontal pockets? Gingival overgrowth (enlargement)… usually easy to remove vs. pocket therapy where most times to be effective the tooth needs to be removed.