Veterinarian

I was raised in Birchwood, a small community on a lake about 20 miles from St. Paul, MN, where dogs, chickens, guinea pigs, a pet pig, and a pet crow were a big part of my life. I've always had an intuitive understanding of and love for animals. I spent two years after high school working various jobs and while ranch handing I discovered great satisfaction in calving work and doctoring sick calves from horseback. This led me to start pre-vet classes in college and to work for veterinarians.

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I graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota in 1984. I landed a job working for Dr. Rhyneer in Townsend and four years later I owned the practice and moved it to the current location at the edge of Townsend.  I can't imagine doing anything else for a living. After more than 35 years, I decided it was time to reduce my role to part time and sold the business to Dr. Zimmerman. We offer complete large and small animal general medicine and surgery.  This includes diagnostic exams and tests, routine preventative medicine such as vaccination and deworming, surgeries from spays and neuters to orthopedic repairs, reproduction services for horses and fertility exams of bulls and laser treatment for many conditions and injuries as well as for postoperative pain control.

I've been married to my lovely bride Jackie for 46 years and we have two grown children.  Amanda lives in Virginia, Nik lives in Belgrade and both are engineers.  We have one 16-year-old granddaughter. We have seven horses, two barn cats named Sly and Adele, and two house cats. Lilly is a gray tabby we obtained when no one claimed her after she was brought to the clinic with a crushed pelvis. She is missing a hip but has no trouble jumping to the counter top. Solig (Norwegian for sunny and pronounced Sooly) was rescued as the only one of a litter in a barn to survive predators. He is a long haired orange tabby that doesn't care much for grooming himself. We also have a Golden Retriever named Patti, Uschi the Large Munsterlander, and Bonnie the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

I have many personal interests including participation in the MT Veterinary Medical Association of which I had the honor of being president.  Our granddaughter is now our #1 personal interest.  I've also been an avid hunter, reached a 6 golf handicap and sang in a men's quartet for nearly 20 years.  I'm active in my church and have been council president several times, I'm a 4.0 rated tennis player, I play the banjo, I enjoy the occasional reining horse show I can attend with Jackie and compete the beautiful horses that we raise and train. I also ski 50k cross country marathons as a hobby.

It has been a privilege to serve the community for so long and I plan on continuing doing so as long as my health and energy allow.