Full Text:

Newtown Vet Opens Animal Hospital In Monroe

(with photo)

BY KAAREN VALENTA

MONROE - Dr David Basak-Smith has been exceptionally busy this month. He moved

his family from Rochester, N.Y., to Newtown and opened his new practice, Town

& Country Veterinary Hospital, on Main Street (Route 25) in Monroe.

"I looked all over the country for a smaller town in a good area to raise kids

- a place with good schools," he said. "When I saw an ad in the veterinary

journal that this hospital was for sale, I decided it would be perfect. We

were familiar with this area because I'd spent several summers here while my

wife was attending the University of Bridgeport."

Originally from the Erie, Penn., area, Dr Basak-Smith earned both his

bachelor's and his doctor of veterinary medicine degrees at Cornell

University. He also spent four years in the Air Force as a helicopter crew

member trained as a paramedic.

"My detachment was in Plattsburg, N.Y.," he said. "We flew rescue for the

Olympics and the space shuttle, and we often transported patients from the

Adirondacks to hospitals in Burlington. But there was a veterinary hospital

right next to our detachment, and I spent a lot of time there."

After he earned his veterinary degree, Dr Basak-Smith practiced in Ithaca,

N.Y., and worked at Cornell as a teaching specialist in the Anatomy

Department. In 1994, he moved his family to Rochester, where he worked at a

large teaching hospital which had 13 doctors, including five specialists, and

five interns on staff.

The experience in a large veterinary hospital was excellent, he said, but he

wanted to open his own practice.

"I think people like to see one vet, who gets to know them personally and know

their animal," he explained.

The veterinary hospital, located at 607 Main Street, formerly was known as

Critter Care and operated by Dr Manjunath, who also has a practice in Ansonia.

Dr Basak-Smith is in the process of renovating parts of the building to give

it a fresh, new look.

A full-service veterinary hospital, Town & Country is open Monday through

Friday from 8 am to 6 pm and Saturday from 8 to noon. Dr Basak-Smith answers

emergency calls for his own clients and has boarding and grooming services on

the premises.

Dr Basak-Smith, his wife, Molly, and their three sons, Ronny, 7, Sean, 4, and

Raja, 2, are renting a house temporarily in Sandy Hook. Ronny is a student at

Head O'Meadow School. Mrs Basak-Smith has a bachelor's degree in international

business from UB and a bachelor's and master's in nutrition from Cornell.

For appointments or information about Town & Country, call 268-8681.