No greater gift

At a farm in nearby Paris, the noise wouldn’t stop. Amid the cows’ incessant mooing and hollering, Dr. Patrick Reister was quiet.

“Four,” he said. “And a half.” 

In no less than 10 seconds, “Dr. Rooster,” as some of his hometown friends amicably call him, was able to determine the status of a gestating calf. That afternoon, he was performing pregnancy checks on cows one by one.

Originally from Richmond, Patrick, 53, has been a full-time mixed animal veterinarian at Boonesboro Animal Clinic since 2000. “I think it’s one of the best jobs in the world,” he said. Patrick works on animals of all sizes, but the large cases have him traveling from farm to farm in and around Clark County. 

After finishing an undergraduate degree at Eastern Kentucky University and completing veterinary school at Auburn University, Patrick had the option to practice anywhere in the country. But for him, leaving home in Kentucky for good was never in the cards. 

“I wouldn’t want to be working in downtown New York City,” Patrick said. In the city, “you don’t see them at the grocery store. You don’t see them out to eat.” Despite not having grown up directly in Winchester, it’s his neck of the woods. He has come to know it — and many of his clients — well. 

Patrick believes that with his job comes a unique responsibility to guide animal owners through the hard — but right — choices they will be confronted with. A regular check-up and necessary euthanasia may come back to back. For every call he receives, the decision he makes is backed by years of expertise. 

“He’s an expert at what he does,” said farm owner Steve Grissom after Patrick checked his cows for pregnancy. Steve said Patrick seems to have “high moral character.” 

Patrick carries empathy to each job. “You’ve got to treat the owner like you treat the animal,” he said. “It’s no greater gift than saving someone’s beloved dog or cat, or an animal in general.” To him, it’s about taking care of the people, too. 

“I take that to heart, to help people out,” Patrick said. “I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.”