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Calling it a Career
For nearly a half-century, Gary Connell answered calls from clients regarding livestock or pets. Those phone calls ended recently when Connell retired from his Shenandoah, Iowa practice. One of the changes Connell notes over the years involves the importance of pets to the public. “Initially in the ‘70s, pets were pets, not so much family members like they appear to be now. That’s definitely one change,” he said. While he has no definite retirement plans, Connell marked September 24 on his calendar. That’s when he served as the grand marshal of the 2022 Shenfest Parade.
Rural Practice
With the increasing need for veterinarians in rural America, Erin Christ decided to open her own vet clinic in Ellendale, North Dakota. She established Country Roads Veterinary Clinic in July 2021 where she treats large animals, small animals and anything in between. While she prefers working with livestock, she believes the smaller animals help fill the gaps. She also jokes that during the winter months, it’s nice to stay out of the cold barnyard and in the warm office walls. Oftentimes Christ is pulled in two opposite directions when disaster strikes on the farm. “There’d be times where you’d get phone calls in two different directions at the same time and you just got to choose where to go first,” she said.
Dealing with Loss
Hayley Danson knows what losing a companion animal means. “I’ve been through my own losses,” Danson says. “They were hard. I’m highly emphatic and it’s often easier to move through that process with the support of people who understand it.” That’s why, after working for urban and rural veterinary clinics in the Pacific Northwest since graduating from Iowa State, Danson started Hummingbird Veterinary Hospice Care with Dr. Melissa Knutzen, a long-time colleague. “Offering hospice care means geriatric patients can stay in their home, rather than loading up in the car and going into a clinic,” Danson said. “It’s often easier to move through that process with the support of people who understand it and I don’t mind sitting with someone and their grief.”
