TV vet Noel Fitzpatrick broke down in tears as he described comforting the owner of a dog in his care which almost died twice.
The Irish veterinary surgeon, who came to prominence through the Channel 4 television programme The Supervet and will soon be embarking on a live tour, said he had an overwhelming feeling of being useful as he held the woman.
Speaking to Chris Evans on his Virgin Radio breakfast show, Fitzpatrick, from Ballyfin in Co Laois, said: “I’ve been thinking a lot about this, with the earthquake in Morocco over the weekend, and the war in Ukraine and all that stuff.
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“And I started to write the show and I thought, well, it’s all relative, we all have our own challenges, our own issues in life, but there’s a lot of stuff in the world. And this concept of being useful – they talk about compassion fatigue in my job, in my profession, because every day I just try to be useful to the family.
“I don’t call them owners, I never have, they’re just a family of a dog called Mabel, who I saw out yesterday afternoon.
“So Mabel has been in my hospital for the last few weeks, Mabel nearly died twice.”
Choking back tears, he added: “And Mabel went home yesterday. And her mum works in prisons and she’s seen all kinds of stuff.
“She helps ladies in prisons who have had a really tough time for various reasons, and they’re in there because of maybe stuff that they didn’t really mean to do, etc, etc.
“So I held Mabel’s mum yesterday and I just felt this surge of being useful in that moment, that Mabel, for her and for her family and for me, represented everything that’s important in life.
“If I can somehow translate that ethereal essence of oneness that bonds us all together as human beings, actually, at the end of the day, the only thing that really matters, which is your children, your mum, the people that you love.”
He continued: “But in that moment, you’re of service and if I can serve everybody on the tour, bring them into that love and make them feel safe in a world which sometimes feels unsafe, then I feel that that’s really worthwhile.”
Fitzpatrick (55) who previously toured Ireland in 2022, said his new live tour of the UK will detail the 13 things animals have taught him – love, hope, truth, faith, curiosity, tenacity, trust, passion, empathy, care, humility, kindness and gratefulness.
He said: “The whole point of the show is to make us the best humans that we can be.”
The live show, Beyond Supervet, will accompany Fitzpatrick’s hit books, including his forthcoming book about the adventures of his much-loved dog, late border terrier Keira.
