04:41 Oct 8 

I am unsure of the proper contextual fit of the suggestions although they are all good - Tessa you were right, the German word choice does leave something to be desired. Perhaps someone knows what I could use to describe this vet, who people take their animals to just because they have always gone to him - Dr. ...? Any ideas?

15:58 Oct 1 

There's no better vet than the longstanding local Dr Wimpish Easy-Option.

15:03 Oct 1 

Thank you to those who have submitted suggestions so far! :-) Am debating... :-/ ..it's a tricky one isn't it? So far I'm tending towards Dr. Callous or something similar - is there a word that would sum up the fact that he is the "family or town" vet and has been forever so ppl just keep going to him regardless.?

10:23 Oct 1 

Context helps. Also the fact that married women may not be identified by their last name. :-))))

09:30 Oct 1 

Re: Dr. Callous
Whoops! Just realized I was barking up the wrong tree completely after reading your context. Only reread your original entry after submitting. Sorry, scrap my suggestion. Maybe Dr. Prudent or Careful would fit the bill.

07:26 Oct 1 

Dr Faintheart, Funk, Shirker, Quitter...

06:40 Oct 1 

Now we get the picture! My last name - it's the name of my American husband, not mine. The name probably made its way to America by the Mayflower. TIA means: Thanks in advance.

06:24 Oct 1 

In this case, it is not "his name" but rather a sarcastically used term. Here are a couple of excerpts from the chapter under this heading:

Besonders Landtierärzte haben ihr (finanzielles) Augenmerk auf landwirtschaftlichen Nutztieren und betreiben die Kleintierpraxis oftmals nur so „nebenbei“. Natürlich kann es passieren, dass solchen Tierärzten über die Jahre die Wertigkeit von Haustieren abhanden kommt, da bei Nutztieren die Entscheidung über Leben und Tod immer eine rein finanzielle Entscheidung ist.

Dieser Tierarzt hat bei dem zweijährigen (!) Tier eine tödliche Erkrankung festgestellt und für Montag die Einschläferung angesetzt.

Sie sollten nur bei einer Diagnose, die Ihnen bei Ihrem Tierarzt nicht passt oder nicht ganz koscher vorkommt, jedenfalls ein bis zwei Kontrollmeinungen einholen.

so Dr. Hasenfuß is basically the vet that no longer trusts himself to suggest saving the dog or who doesn't even consider it to be feasible anymore. So I suppose coward wouldn't fit here, but something more extreme (on the mean side) wouldn't fit either, so I don't know...! I appreciate all the help. :-)

06:12 Oct 1 

I am a native speaker which is why I understand the double meaning and the play on words of "Hasenfuß" quite well. To be able to transfer the proper meaning into the target language, we would need to know if this is supposed to have a touch of fairy tale, if this is to be meant slightly sarcastically or something. TIA! :-)

05:55 Oct 1 

Maybe this fellow is called like that ... who knows.

03:48 Oct 1 

Who is Dr. Hasenfuß? A loser, a mean guy, or a vet with a heart of gold? Sorry, you can not expect any useful idiomatic translation without providing the slightest bit of background. TIA!

03:44 Oct 1 

.. not to be derogatory per se.