WE managed to collar retiring vet Tony Turnbull as he took a break between learning the rudiments of the Bridge.

It's a far cry from the hard, physical work of his early years employed by what is now Kingsway Veterinary Group and those traumatic months in 2001 tackling the foot and mouth epidemic which brought devastation to many Dales farmers.

"It was a very upsetting time for everyone, especially those farmers who had their animals culled - flocks and herds that they'd built up over the years," said Tony.

Luckily, terrible times like that were few and far between and most of his adventures can be viewed in retrospect with a touch of humour.

Like the time when a cow, which had just calved, jumped over the half door on a wooden cow shed and got stuck, trapping Tony and the farmer inside.

"I had to break out of the back of the shed, go round the front and heave the cow back inside before we could open the door.

"I remember having to wade into a river in the dark to treat a cow with a condition called milk fever. She needed an injection of calcium into the vein in her neck and there was just her head and the top of her neck above the water.

"Fortunately I like walking as one time I had to blood sample one cow from a herd up the in dales. But we didn't know which barn it was in so it was an hour’s walk round every barn on the hilltop reading every ear tag in the dark until we got to the last barn, opened the door and out charged our cow.

"I have dealt with Bearded Dragons, egg bound Gobies, a snake called Nipper and I also remember repairing the broken leg of a heron with a stainless steel bone pin - we called him Barry after world champion Grand Prix motorcyclist Barry Sheen."

Tony ended up in Skipton when he fell in love with the place on a visit in 1979 while heading home from Cheshire where he had his first job. He had been reading about the Yorkshire Dales.

Serendipity struck because shortly afterwards he saw a job advertised for the practice then in Newmarket Street, Skipton and got it.

"It was mainly large animal, dairy/beef cattle and sheep. There were seven vets. I have fond memories of those times - farmers used to bring their ewes to the surgery if they needed assistance lambing – one busy morning there were four Land Rovers waiting backing up onto Newmarket Street," said Tony.

He became a partner in 1983 and a year later the practice moved to brand new purpose-built premises on Kingsway, off Otley Road, Skipton.

Inevitably, it outgrew that location and the farming element was relocated to Skipton Auction Mart allowing the pets side to expand and take over the entire Kingsway buildings with Tony an integral part of the team.

"Over the years I made the gradual move to more small animal work which I have really enjoyed with challenging and interesting cases and got to know a new group of clients really well," he added.

Tony’s legacy to the practice as he retires is the acquisition of its Veterinary Hospital status, the highest standard awarded by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and a rigorous process which he has administrated.

It ensures the highest standard of patient care from a dedicated, highly motivated team of vets and veterinary nurses looking after patients and receptionists looking after the clients.

It includes the provision of overnight care meaning there is a dedicated nurse on the premises overnight looking after inpatients every day of the year with veterinary visits and ward rounds.