Dr. Dodds earned her D.V.M. with honors in 1964 from the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Toronto. She joined the New York State Health Department in 1965, where she advanced to Chief of the Laboratory of Hematology at the Wadsworth Center and later became Executive Director of the New York State Council on Human Blood and Transfusion Services. In 1986, she founded Hemopet, the first nonprofit national animal blood bank. A leading expert in veterinary hematology, she has served on numerous national committees, received major NIH funding, published over 170 scientific articles, authored three books, and holds 27 patents. She has received multiple national awards for her contributions to veterinary medicine and animal welfare.