THERE is a discrete door at the side of the Roundhouse Veterinary Hospital on the south side of Glasgow. It offers a private way out of the surgery for people who have endured the painful experience of saying goodbye to their pets for the last time.
As business features go, it is unlikely to ever be one that Pets ‘n’ Vets Family, the company behind the £1 million hospital, will ever shout about from the rooftops. But in many ways it encapsulates the personal service the animal care specialist views as its hallmark.
Moreover Oliver Jackson, one of the company’s three managing partners, and
a graduate of Glasgow University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, said that being a pet owner, and having had the experience of putting their own animals to “sleep”, is fundamental to a vet’s ability to do
their job.
Mr Jackson, who owns two dogs, a cat and regularly takes on rescue animals,
said: “We have to remember that’s the truth of what we do – it is going to be the last walk for all of our patients in the end. We have to be aware of that, so we set up
a separate waiting area where owners and pets will feel a little more normal, relaxed and less stressed in these really, really difficult moments.
“We have a separate exit so people don’t have to walk through and see all other people waiting with their pets, when they have just gone through that deeply emotional and difficult experience.”
In an age where the veterinary business is as corporate as any customer-focused sector – optometry offers perhaps the closest parallel – Pets ‘n’ Vets likes to do things a little bit differently, prioritising the clinical needs of domestic animals, and their owners, above profits.
Although a fairly new business in its current guise, its roots stretch back to 1971, when George Leslie set up a veterinary practice in a Pollokshaws tenement.
“It developed this ethos for bringing on young Glasgow vets,” Mr Jackson said.
“A huge number of really influential veterinary surgeons passed through
that little shop in Pollokshaws.”
Mr Leslie took on a partner, Ivor Lough, who had worked in the practice since his student days, in 1984. The duo then ran the business together for the next two decades, adding a second practice in Crookfur, Newton Mearns, along the way, until
Mr Leslie retired in 2009. Mr Lough then brought Ross Allan on board as a partner before Mr Oliver joined in the same capacity; in keeping with tradition, both Mr Allan and Mr Oliver had earned their spurs cleaning out kennels in the practice.
“The three of us became partners in 2010 – local guys all living within walking distance,” said Mr Jackson.
By that stage, though, the industry had been gripped by massive change as a result of deregulation, which essentially meant non-qualified vets could become practice owners. Mr Jackson, who had observed this change while working in London, likens the shift to the big optician chains launching on to the high street, noting that it triggered a wave of consolidation across the country.
At the same time, the number of qualified vets who had aspirations to become partners practice owners had dropped off, meaning succession planning suddenly became difficult for owners approaching retirement.
The result was the corporate players began swallowing up large numbers of independent practices, as well as related businesses such as pet wholesalers, labs and crematoria, in the west of Scotland.
“I’m sad to say, I think their intention is
to squeeze out the little man and the independent practice,” Mr Jackson said.
“In Glasgow we are seeing huge numbers of these independents being taken over by corporate companies, some of whom
don’t change the name or the brand,
but who certainly change the ethos, and
we worry about the direction of veterinary care.”
Concerned about the way the sector was heading, and convinced of the importance
of “good quality, local vets remaining in practice”, Mr Jackson and his fellow partners began to approach vets with a proposal. They would take on their practices and allow them to retire, while keeping their independent, community-focused ethos alive.
“We’ve created this network of
veterinary practices across Glasgow and the surrounding areas, where we share equipment and skills, allowing Glasgow independent veterinary practice to thrive on people’s doorsteps,” he added, “and bringing cutting edge veterinary practice with these Glasgow twist.”
That resolve to retain its association with its home city is reflected by its marketing strategy. It employs the famous Glasgow cartoonist Malky McCormick to look after its visual identity and logos.
But the humour does not detract from the serious business of veterinary care.
Mr Jackson, whose passion for animals is such he spent his student loan on reptiles, said the overarching aim is to provide “cutting edge” care at a time when pet ownership is more popular than ever. The pet industry is now worth an estimated £3 billion a year and is growing at a rate of two per cent annually, which perhaps illustrates the demand by corporate investors to move into the sector.
Pets ‘n’ Vets currently has seven practices, including the £1m Roundhouse veterinary hospital accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeon. It also has a small surgery in the Dogs’ Trust Centre, a “rehoming” service, in Mount Vernon. Each of the practices and the Roundhouse hospital were custom-designed by Mr Jackson.
Asked if the firm would consider adding to its portfolio, he replied: “We think there is space for more Pets ‘n’ Vets family practices in Glasgow and the surrounding area.
“When I walk around the streets with my dog I see a lot fewer three-legged dogs and three-legged cats and I like to think that’s because we are much better at fixing broken legs, and we are much better at providing that care to the average member of the community than the veterinary profession was maybe 10 years ago.”
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