ARLB People Profile:
Navy Brat Childhood Leads Dr. Smith to Veterinary Career
Dr. Martha Smith, Animal Rescue League of Boston Director of Veterinary Services credits her “Navy brat” upbringing for her choice of a career as a shelter veterinarian.
“Growing up as a ‘Navy brat’ meant every couple of years we’d pack up and move, and the only friends and constant companions that would come with us were our pets,” she explains. “The love of my life was a Labrador/Dalmatian mix named Claude which we got when I was three and who died when I was a teenager. We also had a cat named Zany and later, some other dogs as well.
“As a kid, I always longed for a place to call home, so now it’s almost like I’m working out some issues from my childhood by helping shelter animals find their ‘forever’ homes.”
A graduate of Tufts University Veterinary School, Dr. Smith also served a one-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery. “So,” she says, “I’m a well-trained generalist.”
She joined ARL of Boston in 2001, although her initial contact with the League came when she was interning at a large referral animal hospital where ARL of Boston rescue technicians would occasionally bring in injured animals overnight. “I was fascinated by the fact that ARL was so action oriented -- they’d go out to where the animals were in trouble and get them help. I tend to be very action oriented myself. If there’s a situation that needs a solution, I want to jump right in and work on it. With its quick reflexes for animals in distress, I knew ARL was the place for me.”
As Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Smith oversees the Boston Veterinary Care, Shelter Medicine, and the Spay Waggin’ program. She also helps support the Law Enforcement Department with animal cruelty and neglect investigations. And, she adds with a grin, “As a member of the senior management team, I help to drive the boat.”
Dr. Smith is also very active in the veterinary forensics world (think Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpatta character, but with animal crimes). She’s also a regular contributor on the New England Cable News program “The Secret Life of Animals with Vicki Croke” where she answers questions from pet owners.
But it’s a love of animals and people that is the biggest attraction for her, exemplified recently in the case of a chinchilla owned by ARL of Boston Director of Information Technology Angelo Colace.
“The chinchilla wasn’t eating and had a stomach ache,” notes Dr. Smith. “Although I didn’t treat it directly, I was able to give Angelo a referral to a chinchilla specialist and provide the animal with some medication and special food to help nurse it through the weekend until it could get to the specialist.” Adds Angelo, “She's being modest. She saved the chinchilla’s life!”
Dr. Smith concludes, “I think that’s the best thing about being a veterinarian you can take people’s anxiety and give them peace. You can help them understand what’s going on and bring relief to their pet’s suffering. That’s the most important part of our work.”
