Sometimes Tim Stead has to tell clients to leave his surgery and come back when they have calmed down, he said.
Sometimes clients turned up after taking cannabis or drinking and the surgery had to tell them to come back when they were no longer intoxicated.
Mr Stead was speaking to The Press after Arbaz Hamza Hamid was jailed for hitting him.
But the incident, and the many other times he has encountered aggression, haven’t put him off working as a vet or doing what he can for all the animals brought to his surgery off Poppleton Road, Acomb, said Mr Stead.
“I love my job, I really love it,” he said.
He called for a licensing system for dogs so that owners had to prove they were capable of looking after animals properly before they could have one.
Today Hamid, 24, of Kimberworth, Rotherham, is serving seven months in jail for hitting Mr Stead. The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, said the sentence should deter others from doing likewise.
Hamid was one of five co-owners whose seriously ill XL Bully dog died at Mr Stead’s surgery after two of its other owners told him to operate on it despite the vet warning them it could die.
“It was a lovely dog and that was the sad thing about it,” said Mr Stead. “XL Bullies have a reputation but some of them are lovely.”
He said that although he always did his best for any animal brought to him for treatment, there were occasions when he couldn’t save a animal’s life, though modern drugs had greatly improved survival rates.
He had had many occasions when co-owners of animals were angry with him in his surgery because they saw their animal as an investment, rather than as a pet.
York Crown Court heard that Hamid’s dog had been imported from America and cost several thousand pounds. The judge rejected defence submissions it was a family pet and not intended for breeding.
Mr Stead said he preferred to discuss treatment with all of an animal’s owners and co-owners before beginning any treatment so that all of them were fully aware of the implications for their animal and the cost.
Although bills for animal medical treatment were increasing along with everything else in the cost of living crisis, vets tried to keep them down as far as possible, he said.
Hamid had not been at the original consultation before the surgery, and had arrived later after the dog had died.
“We didn’t know him as our client, we didn’t know who he was,” said Mr Stead.
Senior veterinary sector officials have welcomed the jail sentence imposed on Hamid, writes Allister Webb of Vet Times.
The case of Arbaz Hamza Hamid pre-dates the introduction of legislation which will ban the ownership of non-exempted XL bully dogs after 31 January.
But the hearing at York Crown Court came after the profession’s regulator, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), and the British Veterinary Association (BVA) both voiced concerns about a growing trend of abuse and threats related to the ban.
In response to the sentence, RCVS president Dr Sue Paterson said: “We are reassured to see that the vet who suffered this awful attack has received justice.
“It is a reminder that, even where there are strong emotions and disagreements, there can never be an excuse for violence, threats of violence, abuse or harassment against the veterinary team by animal owners and the general public.”
Meanwhile, the BVA, which is the main representative body of UK vets, has urged practices to take a zero tolerance approach to aggressive or threatening behaviour.
Its president, Dr Anna Judson, said: “It’s unacceptable for veterinary professionals to face abuse when simply doing their jobs, but sadly practices across the country are reporting an increase in this type of behaviour.
“Whilst it’s understandable that emotions can run high when faced with a sick animal, it’s never ok to transfer worry or frustration onto vet teams.”
Both organisations have also urged professionals to report any incidents of abuse, threats or violence to the police and to seek support through the sector’s dedicated charity Vetlife if they feel they need it.
The BVA has also voiced its opposition to the XL bully ban as a member of the Dog Control Coalition alongside a number of leading welfare organisations including the RSPCA, Battersea, Blue Cross and Dogs Trust.
They argue that breed specific legislation, which was first introduced under the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act has proven to be ineffective, though that view is disputed.
