Excitement has steadily risen in the community after last weeks issue of this newspaper announced Barriere will be welcoming a veterinary practice to the downtown core.
Thanks to the hard work of Barriere and District Chamber of Commerce’s office manager Lianne Hamblin, and area businessman Shane Baykey’s efforts on behalf of area pet owners, this much needed service will soon become a reality.
Last week this reporter had the opportunity of meeting Dr. Eric Galmut, DVM, when he was touring the building where his small animal clinic will be in Barriere, while also checking out a few local four legged patients as well.
Galmut comes with 35 years of experience in veterinary medicine.
“I graduated in 1986,” said the veterinarian, “Seems like it is impossible that it could have been that long ago but it was – and it has been fun.”
Will he be limiting his practice to cats and dogs in Barriere?
“I started doing only small animals in 1997,” said Galmut who runs a large practice in Cloverdale, B.C. “I did everything before, cattle, horses – plus dogs and cats at the clinic. But, as the area where my practice is became more subdivided, after a few years there were no cows anymore, and then pretty soon the horse industry changed as well, so I decided my small little clinic was getting too busy and I got out of the horse business. Now I just do small animals and that keeps me really busy.”
Asked why he made the decision to open a practice in Barriere, Galmut said a long time client and friend talked him into it as he pointed at Shane Baykey.
“Shane has been a client for some time,” said the vet, “And he started talking to me about there being no veterinarian here, and that people must travel to Kamloops. So we chatted for awhile, and sort of hashed it through a couple of times, and I’ve come here to look at the place, and we thought “this might work”.”
Galmut tells he has property in Lone Butte. “I usually go up the Fraser Canyon, but I can come up this way, stop here for one or two days, for now every couple of weeks to service my clients, and then continue on to my ranch up north, and it would be quite convenient. My ranch is 15 miles east of Lone Butte. It’s a nice place and I have built a home there, it’s off grid, quiet, and I love going up there.”
Will he come to Barriere on a regular schedule?
“I’m not sure what it will be like in the winter months, and it may depend on what the road conditions will be like. But I’m thinking that if there is a couple of days, one or two every couple of weeks, depending on how busy it is, because that’s how often I usually go up north anyways. I would try and start with that and see how it works.”
Does he plan to eventually retire from the coast and move onto his ranch?
“Yes, I’d love to do that. While I’m at my practice, it’s my own little world. I love it, and I’ve loved it for all 35 years, but I’d like to have some time to be a little bit quieter – and I love it up North.”
“I enjoy smaller communities, and I enjoy the animals, I love dealing with them. I love having them come up and scratching their bellies, and getting kisses and all that stuff. It’s much more than listening to their hearts, giving them a poke, taking your money, and “go on get out of here.”
Would he call it a labour of love?
“Yes, I’ve always enjoyed animals. People always say “why do you want to be a veterinarian?” Well I love animals – but that’s not enough. You have to enjoy them, so that hopefully, when they come up on the table, or even on the floor, they’re comfortable, they can give you licks. I really concentrate, even when there is something horribly wrong, surgeries, or hit by a car or something, I’m very focused on making them better,” said Galmut, “So when people say, “I love animals”, no disrespect to them, but for me that is not quite enough.”
He commented having curiosity in regards to how busy the practice in Barriere will be.
“If we slowly build up. Build an exam room here, and make some improvements, I’m curious to see how it does with one or two days every couple of weeks, and because I’m not that far away, if it was three days every couple of weeks that would be okay as well. I just don’t want it to be 14 days every couple of weeks.”
Does he have pets of his own or livestock on his ranch?
“I just have four dogs, I don’t have time for anything else, and I’m not up at my ranch enough to have horses, although some years I have seasonal range cattle, but that’s it. Right now the four dogs are waiting for me in my truck.”
Galmut tells today’s visit to the community was initially just to look at the building where the clinic will be situated, and take some measurements for renovations needed to accommodate the practice, and talk to Baykey about arrangements for the building.
“But then Shane says, “Oh, there’s three people that want to get their dogs vaccinated while your here, and then he called back and said “oh, there’s two more”, and then he called back and said “don’t forget the three puppies too.”
How do people book appointments for their pets, and when will he be back?
“At this time it looks like I will be planning my next clinic in Barriere a month from now so I can give the vaccine booster to the dogs I inoculated today,” said the vet.
He also commented he will not be booking any appointments at this time until the veterinary clinic in Barriere is set up with an examination room and other necessary requirements. However, once the clinic is ready, the contact information required for booking appointments will be published in this newspaper, as well as on community notice boards and area social media sites.
“We’ll take it a little step at a time as far as I’m concerned and just see how it goes,” said Galmut, “If it looks promising and encouraging then we would do a little bit more, and a little bit more.
“I am hoping to be open for normal veterinary service by mid-summer, at least as far as having an exam room, an anesthetic machine, and stuff like that.
For the time being Galmut says due to vaccine schedules for his new canine and feline patients he feels it is prudent to come up at least once a month so he can take care of the clients he has already started with, such as those he vaccinated Jan. 20, who will be requiring a booster shot in 30 days.