Our Story

Dr. Laura Noaker

Dr. Noaker at VERGI with a stethoscope listening to a sick dog

As a little girl, Dr. Laura Noaker realized she had a calling to help animals in need when she witnessed a neighborhood cat get run over. She ran to the cat but what could a 7-year old really do? As she stared at the dying cat and heard its cries, she knew that one day she would run to animals in need and know exactly what to do. 

After serving 9 years with the Houston Police Department and receiving multiple promotions and commendations, Dr. Noaker had other dreams to chase.  She graduated from Texas A&M in 1994 and completed an Internship and an Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Pennsylvania by 1997. She is an ACVIM Board Certified Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist. 

Laura worked as a relief veterinarian at VERGI for a few years prior to being asked to be Chief of Staff in 2000. For those who do not know, at the time, VERGI was owned by several local veterinarians and was only open overnights and weekends to care for pets who had been at the offices of these local veterinarians earlier that day. Laura felt a need to have continued care for the patients she saw overnight, as back and forth pet transportation between VERGI for nights and weekends, and the regular veterinarian during the weekdays, brought even more stress on an already sick animal. In 2006, VERGI became one of the first 24hour/7 days a week emergency centers (in our area) and in 2013, Dr. Noaker purchased VERGI 24/7.  

None of this is possible without our partners.

We have many great veterinarian and rescue partners in the Houston community committed to saving your pet.

German shepherd dog on a table in the emergency room at VERGI

A Rescue Story

This was an injured dog found on I-45 on the inside shoulder, curled up into a small ball against the HOV concrete barrier. He was rescued and brought straight to VERGI. Thankfully, Favor now has a future. We’re here to save lives and offer hope, but it’s not possible without our partners.

Follow more rescue stories today…