Meet Leslie Gallagher

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Leslie Gallagher a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Leslie, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I worked for over a decade for one of the wealthiest people in the world. When he died I was just devastated as he was like a father to me. He left behind in one of his (25!) homes, an older German Shepherd whom I adopted. A few weeks later I took her to the groomer to get bathed and when I picked her up she was paralyzed. It was devastating. Every veterinary specialist I took her to told me to put her down but I had just lost my boss and I wasn’t prepared to lose his dog too! For weeks I dragged her from hospital to hospital until finally my sister in law suggested I try swimming with her. I borrowed a neighbor’s pool and within about six weeks I had her walking again. It was astonishing. I had made a lot of $$ and saved it all up so I decided to go back to school and try to learn how to do physical therapy on dogs. There was no animal rehab in the entire state of California so I had no role models but I figured that if it didn’t work out, I could go back to work for another billionaire as I’d had multiple job offers after my boss died. I set up an office in my garage and my phone rang off the hook, day in and day out. I found that I had an incredible talent in animal rehab and realized that this was what I was meant to do in my life. My boss really loved animals too and I am 100% convinced that he sent me my next career from the grave.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I founded the first animal rehab facility in the state of California. While I started out small in my garage with a treadmill and a little pool, it quickly turned into a state of the art facility as the demand for animal rehab became enormous. I now have a large warehouse with the only full size indoor pool for animals and a dedicated staff of 30 employees, all trained in animal physical therapy. Because so many of the animals that we treat are disabled, and statistically special needs animals are the first ones euthanized in our shelters, I then started a foundation to take in special needs animals. We pay for all of their medical bills, surgeries, PT, etc and then place them in loving homes once they are ready to go. This is my calling in life! We know that most paralyzed animals (80%) will walk again with intensive therapy. Educating the public that they do not need to euthanize their beloved pets just because of a disability is extremely important to me and my staff. We are routinely gifted with cards, letters, emails, and shout outs on social media that we have saved someone’s life thanks to our facility. It is so incredibly gratifying.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Never take no for an answer!!!! I could never have gotten into vet school as my math and science skills were non-existent, so I got my first degree in International Relations which obviously has nothing to do with what i do now. But had I not worked for the billionaire media mogul (where my IR degree was incredibly handy) I never would have been so confident that i could do whatever i wanted to do. He taught me that every obstacle was really just a challenge to get past, and I learned to be relentless in my efforts to create an entire new career that previously had not existed. When I was about 22 he said to me, “Don’t ask for permission. Ask for forgiveness later if you have to”. Obviously i never forgot that. I am fearless when it comes to animal protection and animal welfare. If I don’t save them, who will?? And don’t be afraid to go back to school when you are older! I went to vet tech school at 35 when everyone else in the room were teenagers. It was somewhat mortifying but it helped me surpass obstacle after obstacle in my efforts to build my new career. I am now considered a pioneer in the field of animal physical rehabilitation and my facility is considered “THE” rehab facility on the west coast by the most prominent members of our field. It wasn’t easy (it still isn’t!) but I don’t regret for a second all the mistakes I made in getting to where I am now.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Since the pandemic approximately 30% of all veterinarians have left the field of veterinary medicine. Conversely the demand for our services has gone up by more than 50% as many more people adopted animals. We are absolutely overwhelmed with people who want our services and we don’t have the capacity to take care of their pets. Veterinary professionals are facing burnout like never before and we aren’t graduating nearly as many vet school students as we need to fill the demand. Veterinarians also have one of the highest suicide rates of any other career. As a business owner this has been devastating. We’ve lost so many professionals that we love, respect and admire and at the same time we are scrambling to find vet coverage. Currently in the US there are more than 30,000 open vet positions that need to be filled. For the past several years my job has changed from running a big rehab facility and foundation, to trying to recruit more vets. We are also dealing with more mental health issues with both clients and staff and I don’t have a psychology degree which would be really helpful these days!! As the owner and CEO I wear so many hats but these days we cannot rest until we can get more veterinarians back into this amazing profession. Our work is so desperately needed!!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Leslie Gallagher, Bryan McMahon.

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