Honoring Our Pets and Their People: Veterinarian Dr. Jerry Harrison and Shane Boland Harrison
By F. Josephine Arrowood
Sun Contributor
Dr. Jerry Harrison and his wife Shane Boland Harrison have owned Leelanau Veterinary Care in Lake Leelanau for 18 years, specializing in caring for dogs and cats. Dr. Jerry earned his DVM degree from MSU, and has practiced for 34 years. Shane does bookkeeping for LVC, and is also a full-time educator, teaching middle school science at Pathfinder in Traverse City.
Glen Arbor Sun: Your LVC web page states, “Preventing disease is far easier than treating it.” Is education and guidance of pet owners a big part of what you do?
Dr. Jerry Harrison: Welcoming an animal into your life is a big commitment. [In return] you will be gifted with unconditional love. Sixty to seventy percent of our education is focused on preventative medicine. Diet, exercise, and behavior are key, along with keeping up with vaccines, worming, flea and tick medicines. We’ve found the best way to guide people through their animals’ health and behavior is by comparing it to humans’. Stress or illness often presents the same in humans and animals, such as changes in appetite, energy, and behavior. While most dogs have been incredibly happy to have their owners home with them more [during the pandemic], many cats have been wondering what the heck everyone is doing in their personal space all day.
Sun: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all areas of life as we knew it before March, when Michigan’s Emergency Orders shut down the state. You are considered an essential business. Did you consider closing in the early days?
Dr. Jerry: We did not close and were extremely busy. Tick season started early and the phones were ringing off the hook for medications. When the closings first started, we were only allowed to perform essential services as prescribed by the governor. These included treating animals that were in pain, or that were sick; euthanasia; rabies and leptospirosis vaccinations only. We were not allowed to do routine spays and neuters or other common procedures, because it could possibly use up personal protective equipment. Around June 1, the governor allowed all services.
Sun: Did you have issues with staffing shortages, or having reduced hours during the stay-at-home orders?
Dr. Jerry: We initially laid off a full-time and a part-time employee, in anticipation of losing business with everyone staying home. But we soon realized that animals were still getting sick, and we were busy. Our daughter Kiley was supposed to work in Germany this summer at an international children’s camp, but that fell through due to COVID-19, so we brought her on. Between her and a regular full-time employee, we remained open. When the governor lifted the restrictions, we welcomed back our laid-off employees, and have kept our daughter on part-time. Because owners are not allowed in the building, we needed to have another staff member available to hold the animal.
We also have part-time veterinarian Dr. Susan Soderberg, who resumed hours at that time. She is board-certified in internal medicine. She was retired, but decided she loved animals too much. She now spends two days a week [at LVC] seeing patients, doing ultrasounds, endoscopies, and rhinoscopies.
Sun: Your staff has been with you a long time, and shows genuine kindness and professionalism to pets and their people. What would you like to say about their contributions during the pandemic, and in general?
Dr. Jerry: We have been blessed with an awesome staff. They know our clients so well, and can recall their animals past and present, along with their human family members. During the pandemic, they have stepped up and adapted to our new routine.
These are scary times. Many of our clients are seasonal, with second homes here, and come with their pets from areas with high [numbers of] COVID cases. We have come to an understanding that, while we continue to spend time with our family and friends responsibly, we are all refraining from going to restaurants/bars and other high-risk areas. We work hard to stay safe and provide a healthy environment for our community. Most everyone has been kind and understanding of how we need to see their pet.
Sun: What other steps have you taken to keep yourselves and your staff safe?
Dr. Jerry: We are following the recommendations of the MVMA. Our staff takes their temperature when they arrive and answer questions about how they are feeling. No clients are allowed in the building, unless their animal is aggressive and needs an owner to hold. In these instances, the owner must wear a mask. Otherwise, clients arrive with their animal and a list of questions they have prepared. We are continually wiping down all surfaces, leashes, and kennels.
Sun: How have these new procedures made your work day longer or more difficult?
Dr. Jerry: Depending on the animal and the weather, we are doing exams in our garden, at a picnic table under a canopy. This has become a joyful way to interact with our clients. Masks are required to protect the client and staff. If your animal cannot be seen outside, we offer curbside service; which is being practiced by most Michigan veterinarians. The owner and animal are greeted outside by a staff member, who brings the animal inside for his or her exam.
Before the nicer weather, not having clients and patients together face-to-face has been really difficult. We pride ourselves on our uniquely personal touch, and have been striving to preserve as much of that as possible. Our clients write down any questions they may have; but it is not the same as being in the room all together, where spontaneous questions could arise regarding behavior, or a symptom not noted earlier could come up. So communication has been more difficult. A big part of the job is social interaction with the owner and pet. I’m usually making personal phone calls to clients until well into the evening.
Sun: How has euthanizing a pet changed with the new protocols?
Dr. Jerry: This is and has been the most difficult part of animal care. If possible, we have been able to do euthanasias in the garden. I have a mask on; if the animal is small and we can’t have a six-foot distance [between humans], the owner can’t be present. We then have the pet inside, and a staff member comforts it while I help it pass. [The pandemic] has made an incredibly hard process even harder.
Sun: One of your new measures was creating a box outside the clinic for clients to pick up pet medications. You had a large cooler type box, but have upgraded since, with a beautiful, handcrafted cabinet. Who made that, and how did it come about?
Dr. Jerry: We used to have an old, decorative mailbox outside the clinic that served for after-hours med pick up. When the shutdown happened and people were not allowed in, we had to have a larger box for medication pick-ups. Tick meds were also in big demand. My wife had spoken to a good client, Rosalyn Tyge, an artist and kennel owner in Traverse City, about the need for replacing the box with a bigger [one]. Ros jumped right on it. We said we would like it modeled after the neighborhood Little Lending Libraries, and what she created is not only functional but a beautiful piece of art!
Sun: There were reports this spring of tigers and lions in zoos that tested positive for COVID-19. Are you worried about the virus transmitting from humans to pets? Should pet owners be worried?
Dr. Jerry: There have been a few cases where humans with COVID-19 have transmitted it to their pets. Those cases are extremely rare and make the national news. However, this is why we sanitize leashes, and ask that, if our clients believe they have been exposed, they reschedule their appointment until they are clear.
Sun: Why did you become a vet?
Dr. Jerry: I initially thought about medical school. But over time, I realized I preferred animals over most humans. Animals can’t say, “It hurts here,” or “I don’t feel well.” It does really come down to honoring the relationship humans have with their animals.
Sun: Where did you grow up, and what led you to Leelanau County?
Dr. Jerry: I grew up downstate. When I was a senior in high school, my parents bought the Best Western Motel in Traverse City, and moved my siblings up north, living at the motel. I grew up canoeing on the Kalamazoo River and have always loved the outdoors. I knew I wanted to raise my family in northern MI, and was happy to find a position at a vet clinic in Traverse City for 10 years. Right after graduation from MSU, I worked in Grand Rapids.
Sun: Did you and your wife Shane meet at MSU?
Dr. Jerry: I met Shane while working in a hematology/serology lab. We were both technologists working our way through college, both studying zoology. While I went on to become a veterinarian, she earned her Master’s in Science Education.
Sun: Shane Boland Harrison, in addition to your work with LVC, you are an educator of young people. Where do you work, and what has been your focus as a teacher?
Shane: I have taught at Pathfinder School for 24 years. My focus is to get young people to ask questions about everything, continually fostering curiosity. There is science everywhere, and it is important that we all become scientifically literate. Science is getting a bad rap at the moment, but it will be what ultimately saves us.
Sun: How has COVID-19 affected the ways you teach and interact with students?
Shane: It was difficult going from a full hands-on, project-based curriculum on 22 beautiful [campus] acres to online Zooming. The worst part was not being with my students and learning alongside them. They still did projects, and I tried giving lessons that incorporated going outside, but it was difficult.
Sun: Due to COVID, are you becoming even more active in LVC at this time?
Shane: I have always been involved behind the scenes; I handle all the bookwork. I have stepped up more in the daily operations, but prefer to stay in the background, or in the gardens.
Sun: You and Jerry raised three children here in Leelanau.
Shane: Kiley has been a great addition to the team, as she has an intense love of animals, and has been enjoying learning from her father and the other staff members. She received an outdoor education diploma in Germany last year. Our oldest, Caitlyn, lives in Ireland. She has always been interested in languages, as well as cheese making, which reflects our favorite foods. Our son Seamus just received his Master’s in Conservation Biology and Environmental Informatics from U of M. He currently works doing Geographical Information Services (GIS) remotely, from our basement.
Sun: Anything either of you would like to add?
Shane and Jerry: It is all about relationship, whether with your animal, spouse, child, student, friend, or neighbor. We are all in this together, so be kind, be open, and please wear a mask. This too shall pass, but it may not ever be “back to normal.” We are a strong community, blessed with many great people and resources. We thank all of our furry friends, and their owners for caring so deeply for their companions big and small.
