Local vet ‘feline’ good about her job

The role of pets within the home has adjusted somewhat in recent years.

Largely gone are the days of keeping a pet in the backyard and feeding it scraps from the table.

Pets are now regarded as fully-fledged family members – with many Gen- Z folk now labelling themselves as ‘Pet Parents’ rather than owners.

Today, pets are the kings and queens of the castle, the head honchos, the shot-callers…

From the moment those furry paws step foot through the door, they are treasured, adored and prioritised – arguably to the same degree as a new-born child. But when these glorious beings – dogs, cats, rabbits, to name just a few – take ill, you can feel helpless and fearful.

That is, until you cross paths with someone like Louise O’Hare from Corry & O’Hare vets in Omagh.

Vets play a pivotal role in the lives of many families with pets.

Their gifted and educated hands delicately heal and mend our canine companions and feline friends – returning them to a clean bill of health.

Louise graduated with a degree in Veterinary back in 2013, and ever since she has been tending to poorly pets – and she’s never been happier. Louise recalled, “When I was very young I wanted to be a singer and dancer, but I couldn’t do either so I ruled that out pretty early on in life! But from I was no age, I was interested in animals. Our family had a small holding and I always kept ponies.”

Initially, Louise didn’t go into veterinary, choosing to study Chemistry with French instead.

But, like any calling, she was drawn back to the animal healing career route – much to the relief of the pet-owning ‘pup’ulation locally.

“I went off to Scotland to do a Chemistry with French degree, but I was walking through St Andrews one day, and as I stopped to pet someone’s dog, I just said to myself, ‘What am I doing?’

“This is not for me. So I pursued my true passion and it was the best decision I’ve ever made – I’ve never looked back.”

On a July afternoon in 2019, over a cup of coffee, Louise and Kieran Corry decided to set up ‘Corry & O’Hare Vets’.

And what a success it has been.

Louise said, “The first day was a whirlwind; it was truly the weirdest day of my life. There were hundreds of people – it was just crazy.”

Louise recalled how Sharon, the receptionist, printed out 44 ‘New Client’ forms, imagining that that would get them through the first few days. Boy, were they wrong.

By the weekend they had registered around 500 new clients.

And with the business constantly growing and expanding, Louise has ‘never been happier’ in her job.

“It’s great to be able to do what I love every day,” she said.

And while it’s unusual to meet someone who loves your dog as much as you do, Louise is the exception to this rule.

“There really is nothing nicer in this world than seeing animals, which were in poor health, then walk out the door with their family,” she stated.

“It’s just a really good feeling.”