Spring/Summer 2012 Aesculapian Magazine - University of Georgia ...

Natalie Toney, her brother
Roger Harmon, and Toney’s
dog, Pinkerton of Pincus Pines
(Pinky), circa 1951.
Through
the
years...
Repeat clients bring
generations of pets to the
VTH and CPC
By Sarah Freeman
9
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
When Natalie Toney started bringing her Springer
Spaniel puppy, Pinky, to the UGA Veterinary
Teaching Hospital, Harry Truman was president,
there were 50 veterinary students in each graduating
class and the clinic was in a barn because the new School of
Veterinary Medicine building was not quite finished. (The name
changed to the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1970). Sixty years,
11 presidents and seven dogs later, Toney is still bringing her beloved
pets here.
“I have nothing but the highest praise for everyone over there,”
Toney says about the reason she keeps coming back to the UGA
VTH. “They have been terrific and have treated my pets like people.”
Toney, who had just moved to Athens from Chicago, says there
were not very many veterinarians in Athens at the time. It was then
that one of her neighbors, Thomas Jones, who coincidentally was the
dean of the veterinary school, suggested she take Pinky to the school’s
clinic for the dog’s required shots.
“The first time I went to the Veterinary Hospital, it was in a barn
because that was before they built the new building,” Toney recalls.
“But, when they opened that new building, oh my goodness! It was
very first class.”
Brandy, Bob, Rufus, Priscilla, Trudy and now Francie have