DUNNVILLE—You could be forgiven for mistaking local veterinarian Dr. Scott W. Reid for Hollywood action hero Indiana Jones while reading through his newly released memoir There’s a Tiger in the Waiting Room!
“I’ve always been very interested in writing. As a student, I wrote and published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal and then published several professional publications,” said Reid in an interview with The Press. “I used to write a newspaper column for the Dunnville Chronicle, and then I also wrote monthly for The Regional News.”
The book is a compilation of Reid’s unique experiences, serving as a veterinarian not only around Haldimand’s vast rural landscape for nearly four decades, but also at both Safari Niagara and African Lion Safari, where he worked with exotic animals ranging from large cats to elephants. It contains accounts of rescuing cattle from a burning barn, working with the police to safely recapture escaped zoo animals, and travelling across Haldimand in the middle of a raging blizzard to perform emergency on-site surgery.
These tales not only delight with their local connections, but through the sincerity and appreciation he displays toward the community he has called home since moving to Dunnville in 1986.
It wasn’t easy for Reid right away, who acknowledged it can take time to earn the trust of farmers.
“The clients don’t care how much you know at first until they know how much you care. You’ve got to show that you care about their farm and about them, and it takes at least five years to be fully accepted by the farm clients,” said Reid.
This is Reid’s second book, following My Book of Memories, which is available alongside his new one at the Dunnville Public Library.
It was encouragement from the community that helped Reid take the plunge into publishing his books. ‘Tiger’ was written to entertain animal lovers but also to help Reid fundraise for a good cause – supporting veterinary students in need with their educational expenses.
“Veterinary students have a lot of debt by the time they graduate, so I’m trying to help them with that,” said Reid, who noted that he will not take a dime from the sales and is also personally contributing to what he hopes will become an annual bursary.
“The book’s done quite well and it’s continuing to speed up in terms of sales,” said Reid. It is available to purchase through Amazon in both a paperback and digital version, with copies available to check out at the local library as well.
“I was very lucky. Both my grandfather and father wanted to be veterinarians but never had the opportunity because of financial restrictions living on a farm,” said Reid. As the first in his family to achieve that dream, he added, “I’ve certainly been very blessed, and I want to help others. I’ve worked with hundreds of veterinary students to help mentor them.”
He said the writing process, which took about a decade to complete, was rewarding but challenging.
“I tried to be very gentle with all the stories. I didn’t want to use anything that someone might be offended by or think oddly of the story. I had about three to four stories for every one that I put in the book,” he said.
He said the one criticism he’s received for the new book is that it doesn’t have many negative stories in it, but “I’m a very positive person, I’m like a dog. I say every day is the best day ever…. I wanted it to be an uplifting story.”
As for the titular tiger in the waiting room…
“That actually happened at the Dunnville Veterinary Clinic,” recalled Reid. “Someone had a tiger they wanted me to care for, so they brought it to the clinic. We only had one scale and it was up in the newly expanded waiting area…. I took this tiger up front on a leash after I had examined it. I was looking at the scale and all around me was dead silence. I looked around and all the dogs were hiding under all the chairs and the owner’s mouths were open, they were just staring at this tiger.”
While Reid assured he had no concerns over the tiger’s behaviour, having worked extensively with it, “25 years later people still walk up to me and say ‘I was in the waiting room that day you brought the tiger in’.”
He said anyone worried about the safety implications of being in such close proximity with a tiger haven’t had the pleasure of artificially inseminating an elephant, who could easily roll over and crush you at any point during the procedure.
Of his career, Reid said, “I’ve really enjoyed interacting not just with animals, but with people. To be a successful veterinarian you really have to be good with people as well.”
To future veterinarians, he says remember to remain humble: “The people that own the animals know a lot more about them than you do,” said Reid. “If someone has a hippo, an elephant, or a duck, cat, cow, horse, listen to them. Ask them all the questions, and just from what they tell you, you can pick up little things. Don’t cut off conversations, don’t put a stethoscope in your ear until they’re done talking. An owner can teach you so much. I learned from everyone.”
