Sunday, November 11, 2018

Milliron Monday: Boiling Bones 11 12 18


Abbott "Pete" Smith, D.V.M.
June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010

Welcome to Milliron Monday where every Monday we celebrate the legacy of Pete Smith, D.V.M., and  Milliron: Abbott “Pete” Smith, D.V.M. The Biography (Monday Creek Publishing 2017). A graduate of Colorado State University and a well-known veterinarian in southeast, Ohio, Dr. Smith continues to motivate and inspire. 

Following the timeline of Pete and Jody's early life and their September 3, 1959 marriage (see Milliron Monday wedding post here), the couple lived on a shoestring - Pete just out of vet school while Jody managed family life. 

Pete, vetting at the local greyhound track and always intrigued by the dynamics of how things worked, would bring greyhound bones home to Jody. The bones were placed in a big pot and boiled. Later, Pete would reconstruct the skeleton. A common practice to Pete became a salesman's nightmare. Here's the scenario from Milliron: Chapter 3 Pete and Jody...

“I was working in the kitchen boiling the bones of a greyhound Pete had brought home from the track,” Jody remembers. “Pete was going to use the skeleton to explain to his clients the anatomy of a dog. The legs of the greyhound were sticking out of the boiling water. The house reeked of formaldehyde. The doorbell rang and a salesman was at the door. 'Do you want to stay for lunch?' I asked him. 'Oh, no!' he said, eyeing the pot of greyhound bones. I never saw him again.”


Read more in Pete's biography Milliron.
Share your stories and photos of Dr. Smith. 
Email to mondaycreekpublishing@gmail.com 
Through captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr. Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave us compelling lessons learned from animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the life of a skilled veterinarian.

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