Veterinarian Clayton Greenway spends his weekdays examining and treating his clients’ pets at the West Hill Animal Clinic in Toronto. But on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m., he’s in the Newstalk 1010 radio station hosting the popular Animal House program and sharing his veterinary expertise with a wide audience.
Greenway, an Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) graduate, started out as an occasional guest on an “ask the expert” show the radio station aired. “They found that the call volume was dramatically higher when I was on, and I found that I enjoyed it. I am very passionate about my work and love talking to people about their pets,” he says.
Greenway was offered his own show more than a year ago, and Animal House’s popularity continues to grow.
“The most common questions I get are about animal behavior — cats peeing in the house, dogs who chew up their owners’ shoes,” he says. “Those are also often the toughest because it’s difficult to improve a complicated behavioral issue within a few minutes over the phone.”
The challenge for a radio show host, he adds, is offering enough general information so the larger audience will find it interesting and helpful, while also providing specifics to help individual callers. Infusing his personality and sense of humour into each call is one of his favourite parts of the job.
Many of the calls are about animal nutrition. “You find out some crazy things. I had someone who fed their cat entire pork chops, and another caller who was feeding her dog a whole raw chicken every day,” Greenway says.
He can’t answer every call during the show, so he provides his contact information on air and then spends another four or five hours each week answering emails. “I feel a responsibility to help them if they have reached out,” he says. “This profession has brought so many positive things to my life that I feel it’s my responsibility to help people who are concerned about their pets. I’m a friend who can help them weigh out difficult decisions”
Greenway worked in two other Toronto clinics prior to his move to West Hill. “I went to OVC because I loved animals, but during my studies I realized that I also love to work with people who care about their animals,” he says. “That’s an important part of being a vet.”
His love for animals hasn’t faded — he takes the opportunity on his radio show to encourage people to adopt or rescue animals in need of a home. He and his wife Sarah-Jane, along with their three young children, Adelaide, Ivy and Jack, have two cats. Greenway says he’s never owned a cat younger than 17 years old.
“I rescue them,” he says. “My first cat was one that had been brought in for euthanasia because of its age. I just couldn’t do it, so I took it home. I like old cats — they listen to you.”