Popular Local Veterinarian Retires

Monday, 9 March 2020 at 09:24

Dr. Gord Yates in the early years of his career (submitted)

One of the community's longtime veterinarians has retired. Dr. Gordon Yates practiced for nearly 44 years along with his twin brother at the Yates Veterinary Hospital on Bysham Park Dr.

WOODSTOCK - Dr. Gordon Yates of the Yates Veterinary Hospital in Woodstock has retired.

Becoming a veterinarian was a dream of his since grade 3.

"On my grandmother's farm just down the road from us and we spent a lot of time there. The vet used to come out the odd time to treat a cow that was sick, or we'd help our grandfather and uncle deliver baby pigs or something like that and it got us interested right from the time we were very, very young. And I remember in Grade 3 the teacher asking us what we wanted to be when we got older and that's exactly what we wanted to be."

Yates says the most important thing to him is the health of the animal. He says over the years, him and his brother and the people who've worked with them have always been more concerned about the health of the animal rather than money.

He worked at Yates Veterinary Hospital on 28 Bysham Park Drive.

Yates says one memory that sticks out to him was when he took in a kitten named Charlie who was badly abused.

"One was of a kitten that I took in that had been badly abused and she still lives at my office. And even when I go in now to do paperwork this kitten, she's not a kitten anymore, she's about 10 or 11 years old. She always comes to me and climbs up on my knee and talks to me and wants special petting because she was in very bad shape when we took her in."

His twin brother Glen is still actively working at the clinic.

Yates says his love of the job is what kept him going all these years. He says he just enjoyed helping out as many animals as he could.

"I started the practice to begin with and he worked elsewhere for a year and a half and then ever since then we've been doing it together. And I guess that's kind of what sets us apart because it's been a family business. All our kids, our wives have helped out, our mother worked there. So it was a family business and everybody that's worked with us is part of the family."

Yates says he wants to spend time with his wife, his kids and grandchildren.