25 Years of Glenbrae

With a fantastic celebration last Saturday of 25 years of Glenbrae’s existence, I thought it a good time to reflect on the last 25 years and how Glenbrae, and the service it now provides, came into being.

Just over 25 years ago I was working in a mixed practice in Northern Ireland, my second job after graduating and a short stint in Australia.  I had always wanted to run my own practice and 7 years after graduating, with a lot of experience gained, I felt the time was right.  After 2 unsuccessful attempts at purchasing practices, I secured the lease on a unit at Baljaffray.   My husband and I did most of the work in setting up and a lot of the initial furniture and equipment were second-hand, some from a local hospital that was closing down.  We painted the interior, set up the rooms and opened the doors-to very few clients.  I began by doing all my own reception work, nursing duties,  the lot.  This was in the days before most practices had veterinary nurses, however in May 1990 Tracy joined me as a trainee and as most of you know, is still nursing in the clinic to this day.

This industry relies heavily on recommendation so gaining new clients is slow at first.  However I engaged with as many animal charities, groomers and other pet people as possible to get myself known.  At first the clinic did small animal and horse work which grew steadily busier, and after 3 years I took on a part-time vet to assist.

With the birth of my son in 1995, I  then had another full time vet and we continued to grow in size. When the next door unit in Baljaffray became vacant I decided to go for expansion and I hope a lot of you will remember those exciting times.

During most of the 90’s I handled all the "out of hours" work myself which at times was truly exhausting and when the first emergency provider in Glasgow opened, I signed up and ended any horse work in the clinic;  times change!!

It slowly became obvious that even the extended premises in Baljaffray was not going to be large enough for our continued growth and several years were spent looking for a new site, which thankfully popped up locally in Stockiemuir Avenue - our current home.

It has been a roller coaster ride, at times-fighting with banks to keep financing the business, taking on new staff and making the whole thing work.  I have always been passionate about good personal service and with my interest in holistic work, the overall ethos has been one of individualised care and empathy for you and your pet.

With our most recent expansion into the adjacent unit (I am going to stop doing this soon!!!) we will now offer even more integrated care with physiotherapy and holistic support.

If I could turn the clock back, would I do it again?  Answer - a resounding 'YES' and although it has been a challenging life, it has been an exceptionally rewarding one as I have been privileged to meet so many wonderful people and their pets and I hope the legacy that is 'Glenbrae', will still be here in another 25 years.

Thanks to all who have been involved with the journey.