Abbott "Pete" Smith, D.V.M.
June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010
I never thought much
of the courage of a lion tamer.
Inside the cage he is at least safe from
people.
- George Bernard Shaw
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.
If there was not a pandemic and if we weren't in lockdown, I probably would have not watched the Tiger King. If you're not familiar with the Tiger King, it's a Netflix series about big cats in the United States. I had a difficult time sitting through the first episode, but my friends said, "Gina, you have to watch it!" The second episode left me less impressed, but I watched it, nonetheless, wondering what all the hype was about. The third episode was more intriguing and I was hooked. What amazed me about the series, besides the weird scenarios, is the fact that there are more big-cats in captivity in the United States than there are in the wild.
What does the Tiger King have to do with Dr. Smith? Nothing, really. Would Dr. Smith be intrigued by the Netflix series about the homing of big-cats? Maybe. He had vetted big-cats, including Mountain Lions. He was familiar with the big-cat population in Ohio.
One of Dr. Smith's colleagues, Dr. Galvin, had plans for a big-cat refuge in Southeastern Ohio, not far from (former) Milliron Clinic. Here is an article from the February 2011 Columbus Dispatch that mentions Dr. Smith. Even though this article is not about the Tiger King - nor is Dr. Galvin associated with the series in any way, I thought it would be of interest to Milliron Monday readers...
If there was not a pandemic and if we weren't in lockdown, I probably would have not watched the Tiger King. If you're not familiar with the Tiger King, it's a Netflix series about big cats in the United States. I had a difficult time sitting through the first episode, but my friends said, "Gina, you have to watch it!" The second episode left me less impressed, but I watched it, nonetheless, wondering what all the hype was about. The third episode was more intriguing and I was hooked. What amazed me about the series, besides the weird scenarios, is the fact that there are more big-cats in captivity in the United States than there are in the wild.
What does the Tiger King have to do with Dr. Smith? Nothing, really. Would Dr. Smith be intrigued by the Netflix series about the homing of big-cats? Maybe. He had vetted big-cats, including Mountain Lions. He was familiar with the big-cat population in Ohio.
One of Dr. Smith's colleagues, Dr. Galvin, had plans for a big-cat refuge in Southeastern Ohio, not far from (former) Milliron Clinic. Here is an article from the February 2011 Columbus Dispatch that mentions Dr. Smith. Even though this article is not about the Tiger King - nor is Dr. Galvin associated with the series in any way, I thought it would be of interest to Milliron Monday readers...
Posted Feb 22, 2011 at 12:01 AM
Updated Feb 22, 2011 at 12:00 PM
The veterinarian said he hopes
that the sanctuary and clinic that he plans to build on his land in Athens
County, about 85 miles southeast of Columbus, will be allowed even if Ohio
restricts ownership of wild animals.
NEW MARSHFIELD, Ohio - Opinion
among the family and friends of Dr. James Galvin was evenly divided when the
veterinarian told them that he planned to create a haven for tigers and other
big cats in rural southeastern Ohio. “Fifty percent think it’s the greatest
idea they ever heard of. Fifty percent think I’m crazier than hell. There’s no
in-between,” Galvin said.
The veterinarian said he hopes that the
sanctuary and clinic that he plans to build on his land in Athens County, about
85 miles southeast of Columbus, will be allowed even if Ohio restricts
ownership of wild animals.
Gov. John Kasich is awaiting
recommendations from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources before deciding
whether to make permanent an emergency executive order that Gov. Ted Strickland
issued Jan. 6 before he left office.
The 90-day order bans the
buying and selling of wild animals. It also prohibits new ownership of wild
animals and requires existing private owners to register their animals with the
state.
The order exempts
from the ban nonprofit rescue sanctuaries, such as the one that Galvin plans,
that take in abandoned wild animals as long as they don’t buy, sell or breed
them or use them for entertainment.
Kasich has said he is inclined to continue the ban.
Galvin said his nonprofit sanctuary, Midwest Big Cat Care, would
comply with all state rules.
He said his refuge would provide a proper home and care to big cats whose owners in Ohio or other states decide they are unable to care for them.
He said his refuge would provide a proper home and care to big cats whose owners in Ohio or other states decide they are unable to care for them.
“I promised myself
that if I was a success in my career and in my life, I would do something to
make a difference,” he said. “I want to set up a model sanctuary and quality
care facility.”
At 61, the semiretired vet has
become something of a Dr. Dolittle of the hills. And he does talk to the
animals, including young tigers Dudley and Boomer.
Galvin got the two last year
before the Strickland ban. Dudley, now 7 months old, was given up by his owner
last fall, possibly because of chronic diarrhea that has since been cured,
Galvin said. Earlier last fall, he bought Boomer, now 9 months old.
Galvin said he
doesn’t plan to buy big cats again. He said he bought the one before the ban
took effect because he wanted to have at least two tigers to start his
sanctuary. They live in secured cages on his property.
Elsewhere, five geese dwell at a pond; they honk when Galvin calls
them.
A hound that the doctor named
Floyd romps the land. Someone abandoned the hunting dog at his door, probably
because word had spread that a vet had moved in.
A stray kitten turned up
recently, too, and is among the five house cats that Galvin and his wife,
Becky, 56, care for.
The Galvins, who have two grown daughters, moved
from flat Toledo to hilly New Marshfield last year after they bought a 120-acre
spread filled with meadows, woods and ponds and renovated the property’s 1834
farmhouse.
Galvin sold the small-animal
veterinary practice that he had run for more than 30 years in Toledo. He now
works part time at the Milliron Clinic in Amesville.
His patient care helps fill a gap at the small- and large-animal
practice left by the loss of Dr. Abbott “Pete” Smith, a beloved local veterinarian who died last year.
Mrs. Galvin, who grew up in Athens, works part time at the county
children services agency.
Her husband
overheard her talking to someone on the phone at home about his big-cat plans,
and he recalled that she said, “Oh, God, knowing him it’s hard to know what we’ll
wind up with here.”
Once her husband answered her questions about cages, fences and other safety issues, Mrs. Galvin said, she was on board.
Once her husband answered her questions about cages, fences and other safety issues, Mrs. Galvin said, she was on board.
Dr. Galvin said he plans to
build huge cages - 200 by 200 feet - and place them around the property to
provide a parklike setting for the big cats.
Galvin said he doesn’t think the state needs
to ban private ownership of exotic animals. “If the owners are qualified and
will keep them fenced and out in the country, I haven’t seen the evidence that
they are a threat.”
No one tracks how
many big-cat refuges exist in Ohio, and no one knows how well the animals are
cared for, said Karen Minton, Ohio director for the Humane Society of the
United States.
The organization sought the ban that Strickland ordered.
“I could have a puma in my garage and call myself a big-cat sanctuary,”
she said.
Minton said that Galvin’s
sanctuary is the first she has heard of in Ohio to be operated by a
veterinarian.
More articles on this topic...
The Athens News
Ohio's Gruesome 'Tiger King' Connection
Big Cats Leaving Ohio for New Home
Big Cats Banned in Ohio May 2012
Soul of Athens
Have a great week ahead.
Connect with Gina
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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