2021 is quickly coming to a close and we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for your continued support during these trying times. We are fortunate to be able to continue providing medical services for our patients, even though it’s curbside. We know it is difficult to remain in your vehicle while your pet is in the clinic but it’s important that we keep everyone, clients and staff, safe.
We decided that we would use the time that clients are not coming in to update the front reception area. It was a much needed renovation and our contractor has been able to get things done faster by working during business hours. As soon as everything is complete we will post pictures. We were hoping to open up to clients again in January but with this recent increase in COVID numbers we just don’t know. We will keep everyone posted on Facebook and our website.
Our staff has grown quite a bit this year. In addition to our long time staff (like Sue who’s been here forever) we’ve had some new people join our team and previous team members return.
Dr. Lee (Shannon) is our clinic owner. She can be found each day performing surgery, with dentistries being her specialty, and seeing patients in appointments. When she’s not at the clinic she and her husband Matt are busy with their daughter Brooklyn, twins Colton and Aubrey, and their dog Max. The kids are busy with activities such as horseback riding, dance and Girl Guides. Shannon even took on the task of leading the Girl Guides Sparks group this past year. She will be leading the Brownies group in 2022.
Dr. Mantle (Lorna) shares her time away from the clinic with her husband Tom, her horse Victoria, 5 cats and numerous heritage chickens. She also plays host to an array of woodland animals that consider her home to be their home. She also plays the cello, loves gardening and travels when she can. Sue has even managed to invite herself along on a few of her trips.
We welcomed Dr. Courtney Winkels this summer to our full-time veterinary team. She is a 2021 graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College. She has a special interest in exotics, especially birds, and has been so happy to meet everyone so far, if only on the phone. She recently adopted Lieutenant Dan, a 10 year Munchkin cat. He settled into his new home immediately and is adorable!
Dr. Justine Forbes (we mentioned in last year’s newsletter that she left to work in emergency medicine) is back working 1 day a week and will be here 2 days a week starting in January. We certainly missed her while she was gone!
Dr. Jim Stephenson, who owned the clinic before Dr. Lee, is helping out with surgery one day a week. So much for retirement!
Dr. Becky Kendall will be here Mondays starting in January. She has been helping out on occasion during the past year on an as-need basis, but after the holidays she’ll be here on a regular basis.
Our reception team has grown this year. Holly has been with us for over 4 years now. Her voice is probably one of the first that you’ll hear when you call us or when we call you. When not at the clinic she is busy with her horse, Frosty and keeps active with hiking and rock climbing.
Laura is on maternity leave with her second child, a daughter born in July and little sister to Conor. She even found and trained her replacement while she’s off! Lisa has an extensive background in customer service and loves helping everyone where she can. Lisa has fit in so well that we are keeping her when Laura comes back! She recently acquired a new puppy that is a real bundle of energy! Nina is a Blue Heeler and is a wonderful addition to Lisa’s four-legged family, which includes 2 cats named Hank and Waylon.
Grace is our newest addition to the reception team. She’s doing a wonderful job and can’t wait to meet everyone. When she’s not manning the phones here, she spends her spare time horseback riding, hiking and reading.
Kandace has also joined our team as our Animal Care Attendant. She is here to give specialized attention to all the animals that are in the clinic. She graduated from Durham College after studying animal care. When she’s not here she enjoys reading and walking her dog.
Gail has joined our team as our office and inventory manager. She comes to us with years of experience working in the veterinary field. She spends her time away from the clinic helping out with the family business, and spending time with her 3 dogs and 2 cats. She also enjoys crafts and creates beautiful water colour paintings.
Our veterinary technicians work primarily in the back. They are responsible for taking blood samples, taking x-rays, running blood and urine tests in our lab, anesthesia, monitoring patients before, during and after surgery, and taking care of sick patients that are in hospital.
Sue is our senior technician. When not busy working here she enjoys spending most of her time at home gardening in the nicer weather, traveling when possible, and hibernating this time of year. She also enjoys reading, Netflix, and shares her home with her husband Ed and their two cats Rufous and Baxter.
Crystal went on a trip to Saskatchewan to visit family and attended a wedding this past summer. She was excited to get on a plane, even if it was a short flight! She attended the RVT conference this past March on-line to keep up her continuing education. She shares her home with her husband Dave and their dog Steve.
Emily passed her RVT exam and is now a Registered Veterinary Technician. Congratulations, Emily! She enjoys spending her free time with her dog Gibson, reading and golfing in the summer.
We also have two part-time staff members who help us on weekends. Samantha helps with reception on Saturday mornings and Megan helps looking after our clinic cats on the weekends. At this time we are still not doing any boarding or grooming.
Speaking of clinic cats, Zeta is doing well and is still supervising everyone. She has slowed down a bit but still provides a lot of comic relief for us. What would we do without her? Our other clinic cat, Tommy, likes to keep a lower profile. However, this year we did manage to get him to participate in some of our Christmas photos.
For Christmas this year Dr. Lee treated the staff to a workshop at Walter’s Greenhouse a few weeks ago. We made beautiful outdoor planters. It’s amazing how creative we all are! It was nice to spend a day together away from work to have some fun.
Veterinary medicine is constantly evolving, so our doctors and staff must be open-minded and be willing to keep up with these changes. Continuing education has been very challenging since the start of the pandemic. Conferences are taking place online in order to keep everyone safe. Most lectures are done via webinars over the internet so everyone can listen at the same time and ask questions while the webinar is live. We miss going to the conferences but thank goodness for technology to keep us in the loop!
We are still working closely with Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge. One of the highlights this year was helping a great horned owl with a broken leg. Broken legs in wild birds are uncommon – broken wings are what we see most often. We teamed up with Dr. Grant Scherer from Paris Veterinary Clinic again (he repaired a fawn’s broken leg last year) and after a successful surgery and physical therapy the owl regained full use of her leg and was eventually released back into the wild. Hobbitstee is one of a few licensed wildlife rehabilitators in Ontario. By working closely with wildlife custodian Chantal, we have learned how to examine and treat the diverse species that are rescued and rehabilitated. Congratulations are in order for Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge. They recently moved to a much larger property giving them the much needed room they need.
So in closing we would like to thank you for choosing us for your pet’s care, and for your patience with curbside service. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday and Happy New Year. Remember to stay safe. All the best for 2022.
The Doctors and Staff of Scott Veterinary Clinic.
