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Robert McCool, DVM
Veterinarian
My parents told me that as a young child, I used to spend hours playing with
plastic zoo animals, and my favorite thing to do was visit the zoo. I had a habit of
catching animals (from frogs/toads to even a gopher) and trying to make them
pets. I think I drove my parents nuts with the approximately 15 fish tanks I kept
in my room. It was clear early on that I had a fascination for animals.
I remember career day in high school. Most of my classmates chose 3 or 4
different career choices to research as most of them were uncertain what
direction they would go. For myself, it was different. I knew I wanted a career
working with animals. I had already narrowed my choice down to veterinary
medicine. Everything I did from that point forward was focused on getting into
veterinary school. In 1985, I was accepted for admission into the University of
Missouri-Columbia Veterinary School. I met and married one of my classmates,
Lori, in 1988. Some of my accomplishments as a student included graduating
magna cum laude in the top 10% of my class, elected President of the Omega
Tau Sigma Veterinary School Fraternity, winning first place in the Hill’s
Veterinary Nutrition Awards for a case report on taurine deficiency in cats, and
being voted as one of the top ten most likely to succeed (as voted by my fellow
classmates). I also had a special interest in birds of prey and obtained my
Falconry license to train birds of prey. I knew early on that the area I wanted to
pursue was small animal medicine and surgery. So when I graduated my wife and
I took positions as Associate Veterinarians in practices in California. Having
grown up in Missouri, we both thought it would be nice to live elsewhere for a
change. After one year in California, we made the decision to move back to
Missouri to pursue our dream of owning our own practice. We purchased our
first practice in 1991 in North St. Louis County.
After ten years in North St. Louis County, we opened our second practice,
Gentle Doctor Animal Hospital, in O’Fallon, Missouri. Four years later we
opened Tender Care Animal Hospital in Weldon Spring, Missouri. I am fortunate
in that I am able to do something that I am passionate about. Helping animals is
something I would do for free; to think that I am making a living at it is just an
added bonus. Although animals are my primary reason for entering this
profession, I have found it extremely gratifying to have the opportunity to make
a difference in so many people’s lives by helping them take care of their pets. I
can not think of anything more rewarding than seeing that expression of joy on
someone’s face when we are able to save their pet and give that owner and pet
more quality time together. This is not only my career; it is my passion.
Currently, I have two children, both boys, ages 5 and 9. Both of my sons also
love animals. Apparently, there must be an “animal gene” that my wife and I
passed on to them. As a hobby, we treat injured animals we find including
numerous box turtles, frogs, birds, and occasionally larger animals such as an
opossum. We have several pets including a golden retriever who loves attention
(Diablo), a cat who loves to eat (Jack), four Pygmy goats who love to climb
(Ginger, Nutmeg, Lily, and Tinkerbell), and a sweet Nubian goat that loves
Cheerios (Spongebob) that we rescued from the shelter.
plastic zoo animals, and my favorite thing to do was visit the zoo. I had a habit of
catching animals (from frogs/toads to even a gopher) and trying to make them
pets. I think I drove my parents nuts with the approximately 15 fish tanks I kept
in my room. It was clear early on that I had a fascination for animals.
I remember career day in high school. Most of my classmates chose 3 or 4
different career choices to research as most of them were uncertain what
direction they would go. For myself, it was different. I knew I wanted a career
working with animals. I had already narrowed my choice down to veterinary
medicine. Everything I did from that point forward was focused on getting into
veterinary school. In 1985, I was accepted for admission into the University of
Missouri-Columbia Veterinary School. I met and married one of my classmates,
Lori, in 1988. Some of my accomplishments as a student included graduating
magna cum laude in the top 10% of my class, elected President of the Omega
Tau Sigma Veterinary School Fraternity, winning first place in the Hill’s
Veterinary Nutrition Awards for a case report on taurine deficiency in cats, and
being voted as one of the top ten most likely to succeed (as voted by my fellow
classmates). I also had a special interest in birds of prey and obtained my
Falconry license to train birds of prey. I knew early on that the area I wanted to
pursue was small animal medicine and surgery. So when I graduated my wife and
I took positions as Associate Veterinarians in practices in California. Having
grown up in Missouri, we both thought it would be nice to live elsewhere for a
change. After one year in California, we made the decision to move back to
Missouri to pursue our dream of owning our own practice. We purchased our
first practice in 1991 in North St. Louis County.
After ten years in North St. Louis County, we opened our second practice,
Gentle Doctor Animal Hospital, in O’Fallon, Missouri. Four years later we
opened Tender Care Animal Hospital in Weldon Spring, Missouri. I am fortunate
in that I am able to do something that I am passionate about. Helping animals is
something I would do for free; to think that I am making a living at it is just an
added bonus. Although animals are my primary reason for entering this
profession, I have found it extremely gratifying to have the opportunity to make
a difference in so many people’s lives by helping them take care of their pets. I
can not think of anything more rewarding than seeing that expression of joy on
someone’s face when we are able to save their pet and give that owner and pet
more quality time together. This is not only my career; it is my passion.
Currently, I have two children, both boys, ages 5 and 9. Both of my sons also
love animals. Apparently, there must be an “animal gene” that my wife and I
passed on to them. As a hobby, we treat injured animals we find including
numerous box turtles, frogs, birds, and occasionally larger animals such as an
opossum. We have several pets including a golden retriever who loves attention
(Diablo), a cat who loves to eat (Jack), four Pygmy goats who love to climb
(Ginger, Nutmeg, Lily, and Tinkerbell), and a sweet Nubian goat that loves
Cheerios (Spongebob) that we rescued from the shelter.