Newtown Vet Retires—

Moving From Comforting Creatures To Creature Comforts

By Dottie Evans

“Being the sole owner of a full-time community veterinary practice has been deeply satisfying,” said Dr Neal Warner on Thursday, February 16, during an interview held exactly one month following his January retirement from the Newtown Animal Clinic at 98 South Main Street.

“During times of joy and celebration and also during times of worry, sadness, and loss — it has been an interesting and fulfilling journey,” he added.

Though he always loved meeting and helping the countless dogs and cats and their owners whose faces greeted him at the examining room door, he was ready for a change. After his 25-year career at Newtown Animal Clinic, Dr Warner looks forward to what he calls a “window of years” to pursue other interests.

“I found it very hard to be detached. Now I don’t have to be somewhere at 7 am, and I don’t worry so much about what’s happening when I’m not there,” he said.

He looks forward to attending concerts and plays in New York City on a week night (“something I was never able to do”), gardening and working outside on his property (“I love watching the wildlife and birds”), expanding his running schedule (“which I’ve always tried to do, but never had enough time for”) and generally letting down a bit.

“I am also able to devote significantly more time each day to the piano. I have been taking lessons for two years,” Dr Warner said.

Then there is the ever-expanding list of projects and excursions that he and his wife, Diane, will finally have an opportunity to enjoy together. Their children, Emily and Reid, are grown and pursuing their own careers. Luckily, both are located in southern New England within easy driving distance.

“We plan to see family in Florida, and now I’m free to do things on the spur of the moment,” he added.

He looks forward to “the next stage of my life” beyond the professional career to which he has devoted the past 32 years, including schooling.

“Time to move on and allow someone else to maintain the fine traditions which have defined the Newtown Animal Clinic for over 65 years,” he wrote in a recent letter to staff and clients.

“Newtown Animal Clinic has always been so much a part of this town. I tried hard to keep it up to standards set way back by Dr Russell Strasburger, who founded the practice in 1937. He was the town vet until he sold it in 1976 to Dr Washington.”

Neal Warner first moved to Newtown with his family and very young children in 1981. He worked as a veterinary associate and then as full partner alongside Dr Washington until 1999, when Dr Washington retired and Dr Warner bought the practice. He has been sole owner for the past seven years.

“The hospital thrived and although we had different styles, it was stable. That is what I would hope for the future of this hospital under the guidance of the new vet, Dr Chris Mixon,” he said of the person who has recently taken the helm.

As Dr Warner once did, Dr Mixon recently moved into town with a young family and has said he looks forward to being only the fourth owner of the longtime community veterinary practice.

“I’m hopeful Dr Mixon will carry on the tradition of professionalism that I’ve tried to develop, and keep the character of the town in mind,” Dr Warner said.

“Keeping up the appearance of a 70-plus-year-old building with high visibility along Route 25, and keeping the inside spotlessly clean and odor free, was a constant concern,” he said.

He also felt very responsible for his staff of 15 people, many of whom depended upon the success of the business for their livelihood. And then there was the small-town atmosphere of the place that he has been loathe to change.

“I have tried to incorporate technology where it will help the animals, but not go overboard. I wanted the clients to feel it was clean and professional.

“I have witnessed the dramatic growth of Newtown, and the explosion of technology as it relates to veterinary medicine. Yet, when people call, I wanted them to hear a person at the end of the line, not an answering machine or a phone maze.

“When dogs and people come in the door, I hope they were greeted by smiles and recognized. Dogs are sensitive to change. If an animal is relaxed, it works better. You don’t want to have to tie him down to examine him,” he remarked with a smile.

One dog and her owner who will miss seeing Dr Warner is Bailey, a chocolate lab owned by Bruce Degen. Bailey has been coming to Dr Warner for every one of the 16 years that she has been alive, according to Mr Degen.

“We’ve always been very happy with Dr Warner. He’s patient, sensible, and careful,” he said.

“When my younger son, Alex, was in Japan, we visited him for two weeks and put Bailey in the kennel. She became ill, and Dr Warner ended up giving us daily updates on our phone answering machine so we could keep track of her condition. He checked on her every day, including Sunday.”

When they returned home, “there was Bailey still wagging her tail,” Mr Degen said.

“He’s just got such a nice way with animals. I’m going to miss him. And his staff is wonderful, too,” he said.

That caring smile, the twinkle in the eyes, and the affectionate touch — these are the things that the animals have come to appreciate.

But it works both ways.

Toward the close of Thursday’s interview, the two golden retrievers that routinely roam the labyrinthine corridors of The Bee office found Dr Warner and began nuzzling his jacket pocket where, he confessed, “I’ve stashed a few treats, just in case.”

“This is the part I miss!” he said, while ruffling their soft, floppy ears with both hands.