James Herriot Lives Again in Western Washington By Katherine Carroll, NTP, Associate Editor

         

   I met him. I donned a radiation apron and participated in my beloved Liberty’s extended X-ray session. Who does this...Invites the client in to be a staff for a time??? Finally, and for the first time EVER, a man, a veterinarian, my hero, not concerned about covering his legal ass asked me if I want to help get Liberty’s x-rays and points to the heavy lead apron which, all-natural woman that I am, I heft on with some fear and  trepidation. I avoid ALL x-rays. But my dog’s welfare, my beloved Liberty’s comfort and peace while being laid down with racing heart on a cold, high table won out.

              Before the table, I could hear the consult for the prior patient, a diminutive dachshund, because it was about 6 feet away conducted on the floor while the owner sat on a plastic chair, a small dividing wall between us. No Hippa or privacy concern here. We are in dog-land. But really we are in 1940s vet-land. I have met James Herriot. He has practiced here, in this little house off Highway 508, for 46 years. And I love this tan, youthful man who channels him so well.

              Temperature taking, anal gland expressing, examination for lumps led to the x-ray room just behind the wall and rather primitive. This is where I handed over my leash end. That’s how it’s done, right? The dog is taken without the comfort of the owner to the “forbidden regions” and the techs take over and you only hope they care.

              Not here. “You might stand in the doorway to give assurance…” So I do. The (dream) employee of 36 years(!!!!) tells me, you might want to wear the lead apron and assist. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? And I do. Happy to. Liberty and I have a language taught me my King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. I emit a low moan, very low, exhaling through this moan. Rub the dog/animal’s chest or heart area at the same time. This is instantly calming peace to the animal. We know dogs calibrate to our breath so breathe deeply, calmly. Liberty melts despite his terror, his head onto my arm. They all do. Try it sometime.

              Liberty remained on the high, cold table for some time as additional x-rays were needed. I did act as assistant. In exchange, at the conclusion where one x-ray was comped, I realized I had “washed the dishes for my dinner” and it was recognized and rewarded without charge for the last x-ray.

              When one’s staff (whose duration of employment matched the length which extends most marriages) turns to me and says, “He is wonderful to work for…” I know that I have found again the old style of veterinary care. I have found James Herriot with all his funny stories of farms, owners, and their animals; their foibles and their quirks, all recorded Yorkshire-style.

In a long-lived optometry practice, since 1979 when the St. Helen's volcano blew, I have many funny or poignant stories of my own. The woman who told her eye doctor, my husband, she had a “burning vagina” stands out…A doctor's a doctor, right? Or old Pinkie, as we knew him, saying his animals were “almost human” resonates too. Hey, they are at the “doctor’s office” so tell all and hope for the best, right?

 But today, I entered into another era. An era unafraid of lawsuits. Unconcerned about appearances and protocol. A pure era that cares for a creature in an aura of timelessness. This great doctor has been practicing for 46 years. He still looks great and by the way, when we ended at 6 pm he was headed out for a farm call still working after a now-ten hour day.

              We must put on the same “blinders” that we read about as children in the horse stories we loved. Just be human. Just love and care. Forget the clock. Just be honest when the bill comes due. Don’t let the superstructure determine your practice or your behavior. Just be a man or a woman at work, doing the best you know to do with the fairness you possess and the love and courage to buck the system. Just have integrity and shine. For once, at this clinic, I wasn’t in the “get in and get out” mode. Dr. Roden’s great aura presided. I chatted. I relaxed. I was impacted by his intention. I was blessed and I left blessed. Liberty too.