Dr. Jerry Parker, DVM
Veterinarian, Owner
Hello, I am Dr Jerry Parker. Growing up , my first dog “ChooChoo” (I also liked trains) was an English Shepherd, a stock working dog. We loved to play baseball together. I met Choo Choo as a puppy when I was four years old and about the time I had my first horseback ride. He was the friend I grew up with. At ten years old, I got my first horse, “Black Streak”, who i also grew up with. As I got older the dog herd grew to 5. When asked what I wanted to be when i grew up, I answered cowboy. My dad recommended that I be a veterinarian, and explained to me what that was. That may have been one of the only times i listened to him.
From high school I entered Auburn university in pre vet, joining Alpha Psi veterinary fraternity as a pledge. And yes my horse went to college with me. I was also a college athlete as a member of the wrestling team.
After graduating with a B.S. in animal science and entering veterinary school, I also worked at the vet school as a jockey doing research on thoroughbreds and working in the clinics spring, summer, fall, and winter breaks.
Upon graduation, I bought a practice near Eagle Mountain Lake and moved to Texas. I guess it was the cowboy thing. Fresh out of school, I think I tried to do one of everything they taught us to do in school, including anterior cruciate ligament repair, c sections on cows, complicated fractures on small animals, and the list goes on. In my spare time I taught a few small and large animal courses at the local junior college for 20 years. Classes were held at my veterinary hospital.
My current location, Highway 377, south of Benbrook, is where I hang my shingle now. I can speak all day about how great it is, but the real proof is what you see, so come see us, we would love to meet you and your pets!
A new trend, “fear free visits” was the topic of an article that I recently read. As I considered what it said, I realized that that subject never occurred to me, and was not anything that I had to think about. Looking back through the years, the majority of patients give very little resistance: nor do they have to be drug through the door. My suggestion is to bring them by for a get acquainted visit and see if they like it here. My philosophy is:be nice to them, I don’t like getting bitten.
Veterinary clients are my favorite people. They love animals and care very much for them as I do. I consider my clients and their pets as part of our veterinary family. I try to provide the best care possible; on the other hand, I do have common(horse)sense and understand that everyones circumstances are different as far as their ability to care for them. Don’t expect a tongue lashing form me if you cannot do the treatment plan, as there may be alternatives.
So I guess all this simply means that my roots run deep in the subject of animal care. I qualify for the job, and will be looking forward to meeting you and your furry pet at Bear Creek Veterinary Hospital. This place is fun and the more years I practice the more fun it gets.
One of my favorite mentors at Auburn, Dr J.T. Vaughn, ends his letters & articles: “your humble and obedient servant”. I elect to end that way too.