Photo Courtesy The Athens Messenger November 21, 2004
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.
It's Thanksgiving week! We have so much to be thankful for! Today I am sharing an article written by Kim Guffey of The Athens Messenger, November 21, 2004, about Dr. Smith, Milliron Clinic, and friend Carol Lambert. Enjoy!
Much to be thankful for: Groups pull together to save dog's life
Cats may have nine lives, but at least one dog from Nelsonville has a second chance at his first.
It was a cold and rainy night when the Milliron Clinic received a call from a man who had hit a dog with his car in the Nelsonville area, recalled Dana Gardner, a veterinary assistant. Unable to find the dog's owner, the man took the wounded animal to the Milliron Clinic on Route 550 in Athens and paid for initial x-rays and an examination. The puppy suffered two crushed hips and internal bleeding.
As Veterans Day parades marched on the next day, workers a the clinic tried to get in touch with the dog shelter in hopes the owner had called looking for the dog, who wore a collar, but no identification tags.
"Everything was closed," Gardner said. "There was nothing we could do for the dog without the owner."
Legally, the clinic can dispose of an animal that comes to the office without an owner. "But no one wants to have to do that," she said.
Final efforts on November 12, found that the owner had contacted the dog shelter looking for the puppy. The shelter put Gardner in touch with the owner.
"She said it had gotten loose and was being chased by another dog when it got hit," Gardner said.
However, the owner was unable to pay for the animal's surgery or commit to its recovery and signed legal ownership of the animal over to the clinic - with the knowledge that the dog may very well have been euthanized.
But the four-legged won over the hearts of the workers at the clinic.
"His little tail just never stops wagging," Gardner said.
Though they all hated the thought of putting the dog down, Gardner said the cost of the surgery and care would be steep and no one was sure what would happen.
"One girl here heard the dog was going to be euthanized, and she said, 'Oh my gosh! I'll put in money!' And then another girl said she would give some. Even a man passing through gave money to save him," Gardner recalled.
With the pot growing, Dr. Pete Smith said he would perform the surgery at a reduced price. With time working against them, the clinic called Carol Lambert of Avalon Animal Rescue to see if the group would be interested in putting up the remainder of the money needed to save the dog.
"I went to see the dog, and after meeting him, I said, 'Absolutely!'" Lambert said.
Lambert said Avalon chipped in a minimum of $200 to save the dog that she name Brendle, Bren for short, in honor of its color pattern.
"We've all just fallen in love with Bren. He's such a pleasant little fellow," she said.
Avalon was the recipient of proceeds from this year's Power 105 Chili Bowl Cook-off, and so in a way each person who bought chili at the event had a hand in helping Bren, she said.
"We have hundreds of people involved in this project if you think about it," Lambert said.
Smith performed the surgery early last week and Gardner said Bren has been working on getting better.
"He's not out of the woods yet. He's still being worked on," she said adding that the dog has had a pleasant disposition despite the surgery and various blood transfusions.
Once Bren recovers enough to be moved from the clinic, he will enter into the next phase of his new life - recovery through the dog program at Hocking Correctional Facility in Nelsonville.
Avalon Animal Rescue partnered with the prison a few years ago in a program that allows select inmates to be responsible for the training and care for an animal for a short period of time, explained program facilitator Anne Richardson.
"We usually focus mostly on obedience, like how to walk on a leash and housebreaking, but I think this little fellow will be here mostly for some R and R," said Richardson, who is also a secretary at the prison.
Once he arrives, Bren will have to be cared for very carefully because he is unable to walk.
"It's going to be so neat to see him progress from where we have to carry him in on towels to when he, hopefully, is able to walk out on four legs to an adoptive family," she said.
Richardson expects that Bren will stay a couple of months at the prison, living and sleeping near the bed of the prisoner who will be assigned primary handler.
"The guys are very excited to get the dog. It gives them something to be proud of, something to be responsible for," she said.
Once Bren has recovered and is properly trained, he will be available for adoption through Avalon. After months of caring for him, Richardson said the inmates may have a little trouble saying goodbye to the pooch.
"They take great pride in the dogs, and they get very attached," she said. "But they know that for every one that we let go, we're going to get to rescue another dog."
The facility currently has two dogs in the program, and expects to get two more next week, including Bren. In the coming weeks, Lambert said a total of six puppies will be taken to the prison for obedience training.
"It's such a great program," she said. "It gives the men such a sense of pride and responsibility."
Pleased to see so many people coming together to save the life of one animal, Gardner said she hopes some lessons are taken from Bren's experience.
"It proves that there are still good Samaritans out there, but it also shows how important it is to have identification on your dog and to not let it run loose," she said.
Lambert said she is happy that her organization was able to chip in to help Bren, and those interested in joining or adopting through Avalon Animal Rescue.
In memory of Carol Lambert.
Happy Thanksgiving! Have a great week ahead!
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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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