Monday, April 30, 2012

Poetry for Cedar Pet!


Stillwater poet Ann Bushnell offered a commissioned poem this winter as a fundraiser for her church, and we signed up.  She made several visits to the clinic, visited with Dr. Baillie, and here are the results.  We enjoyed it, and hope you do, too.  (We like reading it out loud!)
Poetry for Cedar Pet Clinic Lake Elmo
by Stillwater poet, Ann Bushnell

CEDAR PET CLINIC LAKE ELMO

Doctors Baillie, Ulfeng, Plantz
are here to offer a fighting chance
for those with feathers, fur or hide.
Sick or hurt, they're brought inside
so their lives can be enhanced.  

The entire staff helps everyone,
owners, patients, all who come.
On the counter sits big Kitty Moe
who watches the ever-changing show
and he may let you pet him some.

They'll treat a parrot or your pet rat,
a beagle, a basset, a calico cat,
lizards, chickens, chinchillas, too.
I bet they'd take a kangaroo
if it should come to that.  

Clinic's in Lake Elmo, a country town,
but people come from miles around,
bring Buddy and Max, Bailey and Beulah,
Fifi and Daisy, Amelia, Tallulah,
some striped or spotted, brindled or brown.

It's not just patients that come through
to visit the Clinic, it's Girl Scouts, too,
and each first grade class across the street
is shown around. They think it's neat, and
draw animal pictures to say, 'thank you.'

Doctors and staff have been together 
for so many years, they have the measure
of each other.  They know their need is
for owners and patients to succeed;
these efforts give them pleasure.

Essential to the clinic is Peg, Doc's wife,
who designs the website,, cheers his life,
reads telephone holds, writes the blog,
appreciates every cat and dog,
and knows they are treated right.

This clinic has been Doc Baillie's dream
for forty years and now it seems
at last it has been realized.
Lake Elmo knows it has a prize --
The Cedar Pet Clinic and its team.   


Monday, April 23, 2012

The Numbers are in! 846 pounds!




Clinic Kitty Moe Posing Atop the Pile
Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to our annual Pet Food for the Food Shelf drive this year.  If you were in during the month of March, you will have seen the gigantic pile of pet food, for all species,  donated by the community as part of March FoodShare month.  Clinic kitty Moe got into the habit of posing atop the pile and demonstrated considerable interest in sniffing all the different kinds.   We eventually loaded it into staff vehicles and delivered it to the Valley Outreach Food Shelf in Stillwater, which weighed us in at 846 pounds of pet food.   The Food Shelf is grateful;  they know, as we do, that feeding a beloved companion animal is an important part of many people's lives.   Thank you very much;  next year we may have to add on a room to hold the donations!

Monday, April 2, 2012

Visiting the Elementary School Science Fair



We're proud to be regular visitors at the Lake Elmo Elementary School Science Fair, and one night a few weeks ago, Drs. Baillie and Plantz, and five staff members travelled across the street to join in the fun.   We had a classroom, a few tables, and a laptop or two, but the real stars of the evening were Joso (Dr. Baillie's golden retriever), Red the Tortoise (owned by vet tech Kris), and  Crackers the Amazon Parrot (from practice manager Mila).  "There were so many people in there, that we mostly responded to questions from the children", said Dr. Baillie.  "Kris talked about the proper set-up and care for Red the Tortoise, and we fielded many questions about heartworm and tick-borne diseases.  Crackers was very vocal and entertaining and the kids were fascinated by a talking bird.  And Joso, who adores children, may have actually gotten his fill of petting;  he was pretty tired when I got him home!"  The children... and the adults...enjoyed a laptop display of radiographs showing, among other things, a chicken with an egg inside, and we also showed a program on Dog Bite Prevention for children.  (We have staff trained in this kind of work, and sometimes take Dog Bite prevention programs to summer festivals in the area.)

 All in all, we think the children had a good time, and we know that we did.  The Science Fair is one of our favorite nights of the year.