January 19.2001 » Just out, 1 3
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T he O ut D octor I s I n
First Congregational
United Church of Christ
ombaid
F LOW' E RS
Rose City vet brings animal hospital back to good health
Located in Historic St. Johns
by Tim othy Krause
P ro u d ly Serving
The G rea ter P o rtla n d
M etro A rea .
503/286-1330
8302 N. LOMBARD
PORTLAND, OREGON 97203
P
t
B
A
1126 SW PARK AVENUE
228-7219
PHOTO BY MARTY DAVIS
Portland
Lesbian Choir
Guest Choir
Dr. Craig Quirk’s business has thrived thanks to personal referrals as well as support from
Portland’s gay and lesbian community
£ £
t only had two good things going for
it: location and size,” says Dr. Craig
|1 Quirk, recalling his purchase of Rose
City Veterinary Hospital almost five
«Jlw years ago. “The building is huge, and
it’s in a high-traffic location. But the practice
had been neglected. We put a lot of work into
getting the place cleaned up and modernized.”
The 38-year-old gay man steadily built his
solo veterinary practice by “getting back into the
neighborhood and having people realize that it’s
a whole new place with new people practicing a
different kind of medicine than they’ve seen in
the past.” This is a more modem type of animal
care, he specifies, describing progressive technol
ogy that includes veterinary specialists, updated
equipment and even Internet resources.
Business since has thrived in large part
because of personal referrals as well as support
from Portland’s gay and lesbian community.
Even road construction hasn’t dampened the
practice despite its location near the intersec
tion of Powell Boulevard and Milwaukie
Avenue at the foot of the Ross Island Bridge in
the Brooklyn neighborhood.
“Traffic volume is down,” Quirk acknowl
edges, “but people are also slowing up with the
traffic, so they’re probably noticing us more. It
probably evens out in the end.”
W ith such a healthy prognosis, the business
soon might recmit a second veterinarian to join
its staff. Quirk confesses, however, that the
hardest part of owning a business is being the
manager, especially when business management
classes are not part of a veterinary curriculum.
“I’m very lucky,” the veterinarian imparts.
“My partner takes care of the books, and I take
care of the medicine.”
And when it comes to practicing medicine,
Quirk points out his most evident challenge: His
patients can’t talk to him. He instead has to fig
ure out what’s going on based on a gtxxJ medical
history and observant owners. But not all owners
are observant, and one of the most difficult situ
ations is when a pet suffers benign neglect.
“A lot of times it’s the pet who is just left out
side and isn’t really part of the family,” Quirk
explains. “They’re in the hack yard. They get
their dinner. They get their breakfast. But the
emotional bond is a big part of it.” That bond
often can he missing when an owner realizes the
amount of responsibility that accompanies the
fun of taking care of a pet.
Quirk thinks the emotional bond with a pet
also can be a great source of strength during dif
ficult times. W hen he took over Rose City Vet
erinary Hospital, he became involved with Pet
Pals, which is sponsored by the Friends of Peo
ple with AIDS Foundation.
Quirk provides low-cost veterinary care for
the animal companions of the program’s clients.
From this work, he has seen firsthand how pets
can provide a sense of family and a source of
emotional support.
“One of the worst parts of veterinary medi
cine is when it comes down to economics and
pet owners can’t afford treatments from special
ists or even the basic stuff that we do,” Quirk
says. “We try to offer cost-effective treatment
that is best for the pet.”
Quirk suggests two ways to avoid this situa
tion. First, he recommends pet health insurance.
Even more important, however, is the practice
of preventative medicine.
“A good annual checkup and vaccina
tions," the doctor prescribes. “I don’t think
there’s probably much more important than
an annual physical.”
Despite all the challenges of veterinary
health care, Quirk says it’s something he always
has wanted to do. He spent most of his youth in
Eugene, where he began working and volunteer
ing at animal clinics during his high school years.
Quirk attended Oregon State University and
received his veterinary degree in 1990. His first
job was at a Wilsonville veterinary practice, but
when the opportunity arose to purchase Rose
City Veterinary Hospital, he was happy to con
tinue his career in a larger city. In Portland, he
sees a clientele that is younger, more urban and
definitely more gay and lesbian.
Without admitting to any new year’s resolu
tions, Quirk does foresee some changes at the hos
pital in 2001. In addition to the potential for bring
ing a second veterinarian on staff and “more new,
nice clients,” he says he likely will begin renovat
ing parts of the building. The reception area, for
example, will be opened up and remodeled. i n
R o se C
ity
January 21, 2001
10:25 a.m. Sunday Service
Celebrating the church's
9th Anniversary
Open and Affirming
n a tu r a l f o o d s • g o u r m e t treats
exotic c o l l a r s • u n i q u e t o y s
luxurious b e d s
A n open, affirming church where everyone
is welcome — including straight, lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender people.
find us at 108 ne 28th
c a l l us at 503 . 238 . 7793
The Perfect Valentine's Gift
February 16 & 17
RELATIONSHIPS
THAT LAST
Friday, 7 PM - 10 PM &
Saturday, 10 AM - 3 PM
$50 per couple includes Sat. lunch
The 7 best kept secrets of
successful life-long relationships
Facilitateli by Casey A Berdell Moffett-Chaney
Registered Domestic Purtners - 17years
Enhance Your Spirituality! t
Ce nie r for
W o r s h ip ; G r o w th
&. L e a d e rsh ip
Revs. Casey and Berdell
Mofreft-Chaiiey
(503) 481-7591
ome.c\m
4828 NE 33rd, Portland
www.godconnection.org
V et er in a r y H o s p it a l , which is
located at 8 0 9 S. E. Powell Blvd., can he reached
at 5 0 3 -2 3 2 -3 1 0 5 or on the W eb at
rosecityvet. city search. co m .
T im o th y K r a u s e dug deep into dusty Internet
archives to learn the true meaning o f the red dot
painted on the exterior o f Rose C ity Veterinary Hos
pital. H e can be reached at ttmkrciQmiUenicom .com.
I
Sunday Services
10:00 AM
Bible Interpretation Study 9:00 AM
Leadership Program
Growth Classes
Stimulating Workshops
Support Groups
Weddings, etc.
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