When Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald arrived at our publisher’s house to record our podcast last week, his first instinct was to greet our feisty three-and-a-half-month-old canine correspondent, Daphne. She can be a bit of a talker, as you’ll hear on the podcast, but she was instantly soothed by the 72-year-old veterinarian’s peaceful demeanor. But Kevin isn’t just a dog whisperer. Given a microphone and an audience, he makes crowds of all ages and demographics erupt with laughter during unique standup comedy sets. He frequently says he loves all animals; “anything with a heartbeat,” in fact. Well, except for spiders.
Should he ever decide on a career change, the Denver native is remarkably well-positioned to undertake just about any line of work. His current resume includes celebrity bouncer, college professor, tap dancer and reality television star. You may know him from the hit show “Emergency Vets” which ran on Animal Planet from 1998-2008. But in our recent conversation on the Bucket List Community Cafe podcast, he assured us he isn’t planning on adding a presidential run to his resume. He jokes that at 72 he’s still too young for the job!
His charm shined through as he answered questions from our listeners and offered up his advice on happiness, overcoming obstacles, conservation, pet insurance and everything in between. He also shared some funny anecdotes from his own life that span from stand-up stages to veterinary surgery tables and gave insight into his upcoming book, “It All Started with a Turtle.”
Kevin always had an interest in science, but it’s his fondness for people that makes him a good vet. “You have to like people too, because they pay the rate, you know, and they have to trust you,” he said. This philosophy on veterinary practice—a blend of empathy and pragmatism—helps him make tough calls in a time when we have more advanced animal technology than ever, and more Americans consider their pets to be family members. However, caring for them through costly surgeries, medication and other procedures is also more expensive than ever, leading to accessibility issues for many.
Kevin performs 10-12 standup shows a month on average, but the line between his professional life and the world of comedy is frequently blurred. When discussing a story involving one of his least favorite patients at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital, a spider, he jokes, “They got hair and saliva. That’s wrong, a bunch of hair on it.”
Some of his tales are not just narratives, they’re lessons wrapped in humor—such as the story behind how his beloved chihuahua, Mrs. Thompson, got her name. As a boy, Kevin’s third-grade teacher, Mrs. Thompson, was the first to recognize his poor vision was the reason he was a lousy student. As an adult he rescued his dog from a tough situation, naming her Mrs. Thompson in his teacher’s honor. Mrs. Thompson became more than just a pet to Kevin. In a way, she represents the unexpected journeys of care that mark his life. “She’s my vice president,” he joked.
When asked about how he balances the seriousness of being a vet while maintaining his sense of humor, he reflected, “Everybody’s funny, and I think everybody has a rhythm and things that they find funny. And our lives are too serious, you know? We should laugh a little every day.”
