Dr. Folland Says Farewell

It is with poignant mixed emotions that I write this blog post. As a young boy, a seed was planted in my heart that I should pursue a career in veterinary medicine. It made sense; I was crazy about animals and a job where I would be surrounded by them on a daily basis would be heavenly. 

I convinced my parents in 1970 to allow me to get a dog, Duke, a beautiful Dalmatian. My friend Bruce also had a dog and we loved to take our dogs walking in Sugarhouse Park on Sunday afternoons, where they loved to romp and play. One early spring afternoon, Duke dashed through the creek at full speed when he suddenly yelped in pain and began limping on his right front leg.  When we reached him, we found blood spurting from a deep laceration just above his paw. Dr. Coulter, Duke’s veterinarian, met us at his hospital and after a quick exam, informed me that Duke had lacerated all of the tendons on the bottom of his leg. This was a serious injury requiring a surgical repair.  After months and numerous visits to the veterinarian, Duke finally healed, although throughout his life he would always lift that paw when sitting.

Because of the many visits to the hospital, I had gotten to know Dr. Coulter quite well. I was ecstatic when he called that fall, offering me a job to work as a kennel boy at his hospital.  It was a dream come true for me. I worked at Coulter Veterinary Hospital on State Street in Salt Lake City until I graduated from high school three years later. Although the job caused me to forego many of the extracurricular activities associated with high school, I never tired of the interesting things I saw and learned at the hospital. It was like Christmas to be called into the hospital late at night to assist with a C-section or some other emergency procedure. 

I was soon off to college at Utah State University. I could think of no other occupation that would interest me besides veterinary medicine. At that time, it was more difficult to be accepted into veterinary school than it was to medical school. My school counselors would encourage me to find some other major to fall back on, should I not be accepted into veterinary school, but nothing else interested me. In 1979, I was accepted into the Washington, Idaho, Oregon regional program for veterinary medicine, as a member of the first class of that new organization. Veterinary school was rigorous, requiring endless long nights studying, but I loved it. It was everything I had anticipated and more. A highlight was a two-month externship at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.   

I graduated from the veterinary program in 1983. During that time, the country was in the middle of a deep recession and jobs were hard to come by. I finally landed a job at Knowles Animal Clinics in Miami, Florida. It was a large and busy practice, but they had no avian or exotic pet patients. I had wonderful veterinarians as mentors who allowed me to pursue my passion of exotic animals. I worked hard to develop a clientele with birds and exotic pets, as well as dogs and cats. One of the veterinarians at Knowles, Dr. David Wise, was a superior surgeon and he taught me much about veterinary surgery. It was a wild but interesting time at the height of bird smuggling and legal importation. I had exposure to strange and exotic diseases brought in through these activities. 

While in Miami, I was given the opportunity to manage a satellite clinic for the Knowles organization. It gave me the confidence--when the timing was right--to build my own practice later on. In addition to gaining valuable experience in Miami, I also found a wife and started a family. In 1989; Sharon, our first child, Rachael, and I left Knowles Animal Clinics and move back West with the plan to have our own veterinary hospital.

We eventually settled in Centerville, Utah and in 1990 opened Parrish Creek Veterinary Clinic in the Parrish Square shopping center. Our first year of operation, I didn’t make enough money to support us so I worked night shifts at an emergency clinic in Salt Lake, and performed spay and neuter procedures at the Humane Society of Utah to help make ends meet. The community embraced us though, and within a few years, the clinic was thriving. Just as in Miami, I promoted my passion of avian and exotic medicine along with caring for dogs and cats. The opportunity came up to become the veterinarian for Tracy Aviary in 1994. I accepted the position and have provided veterinary care for the Aviary birds ever since. It has been a challenging and rewarding experience. We added another veterinarian and in 1998, we were called on to provide veterinary care--on an interim basis-for Hogle Zoo. Suddenly, I was taking care of exotic animals of every size and shape. That was an experience of a lifetime, but also a time of stress, because we were also in the process of acquiring our own building, in which to expand the practice. We purchased and renovated the old Centerville post office, to which we moved in late 1998.

Early on we were contacted by Barb Schneiter to provide care for injured and sick wildlife at her wildlife rehabilitation center. That led to contacts with the Ogden Nature Center and eventually a new organization, Northern Utah Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. These organizations provided us with an endless supply of interesting native animals to treat ranging from beavers, porcupines and bobcats to golden and bald eagles, owls and falcons. It has become a source of satisfaction to see an eagle fly away free after recovery from a serious injury.

In 2008, I completed a rigorous program which culminated in becoming a board certified avian specialist and in 2017 we began providing veterinary care for the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium.  The practice has grown to have 3 doctors and is the only facility in Utah to provide specialized care for birds. It has become the leader in avian and exotic animal medicine and surgery for all of Utah.  It also has a reputation for excellent care of more traditional pets. 

Now the reason for mixed emotions. On February 1, 2019, I will be retiring from Parrish Creek Veterinary Clinic. Veterinary medicine has been very good to me. It has turned out to be everything I expected and more than a young teenager could imagine. I have had clients with wonderful pets. I have provided care for the most magnificent animals in the world. I have met incredible colleagues and friends who have given me encouragement and guidance. I have been blessed with wonderful co-workers who have embraced the vision of Parrish Creek Veterinary Clinic and have worked tirelessly to move it forward. I will miss this this amazing experience but I am excited for new adventures in the future. My wife and I will be serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand. Who knows, maybe I will get to treat a Kiwi, kakapo or tuatara. Thank you all for contributing to this grand adventure.