Helping Comes with Prices and Sacrifices

Karl and Dr. Calvin in a friendly handshake during the photo session.

It was before the dawn when our day started as we make our way to a veterinary clinic in Kuchai Exchange and I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Calvin Cheah, who is an experienced veterinary surgeon, co-founder and director of Vets For Pets Animal Clinic. With more than 10 years of experience in various fields that helped him excel in multiple areas, he is more than just a veterinary surgeon and a business owner. He reckoned that he obtained necessary entrepreneurship and management skills through his working experience in corporations and going through that polished his edges and helped him to utilise his skills to manage his current businesses. He is more of a hands-on person and handles a major part of the operational process in his businesses. Dr. Calvin also knows the importance of branding in business as it usually serves as the first impression to the customers and it should always be the best it can be to enhance the confidence of the customers.

Karl and Dr. Calvin engaged in a discussion on the issues of animal welfare.

Together with his business partners, they opened their very first vet clinic in 2012 and the second branch a few years later. For a social butterfly like Dr. Calvin who is so used to mixing around with people from different walks of life, he thinks that it is better to be working in groups than individually as each of us would be able to complement each other and rectify problems together with alternative solutions. With that said, he holds high expectations for his team and expects them to handle all customers professionally and sincerely, although if needed, he or his business partners would step in and take over the cases to ensure the delivery of top-level service quality. Furthermore, an energetic and strong-willed individual like Dr. Calvin gets things done immediately and charges forward until the goal is achieved. He serves as a good example that we should never think of anything as beyond our capabilities because everything is achievable if you put your heart into it.

Dr. Calvin listening intently to Karl's question as the cameras are rolling.

Dr. Calvin recalled that there are many instances where Good Samaritans bring ill-stricken strays or homeless animals to his vet clinic to seek necessary treatments. He strongly believes that saving animals should always be the top priority. Therefore, he always tells his team and vets that should they encounter any emergency and life or death situations, focus solely on treating the animal until the animal's condition is stabilised and figure out about the payment challenges later. However, there are also some people who demand vets to treat sick animals for free with the excuse of them being strays and not their pets. Unfortunately, as much as vets have an endless amount of love towards animals, they cannot treat animals free of charge all the time as they will not be able to sustain their businesses and this will, in turn, contribute to a long-term problem where more and more vets fall out of business and there will be lesser doctors for the animals.

Dr. Calvin organising his thoughts before answering in response to Karl's question on his business.

Besides that, Dr. Calvin stressed that it is crucial for these compassionate individuals to set a limit to their kindness and only extend help within their capability. For example, if you can't provide the basic necessities and ample space for the animals, it is best not to do it. Taking more than you can cope will not only put a toll on yourself but also on the furkids as well. Bringing an ill stray home without proper treatment will most probably jeopardise the health of your current pets, or worse, death when an outbreak occurs. Hence, it is highly important that you think thoroughly about the possible consequences of your actions before making a firm decision. Of course, this does not mean that you should not rescue or help any animals at all but you should be confident that you are able to provide an acceptable or better living quality to them.

Karl, Soo, Dr. Au and Dr. Calvin posing for a photo together after the filming.

When asked about what is one of the best ways to tackle the animal welfare problem, Dr. Calvin suggests that the government should also make an effort to decrease or prevent the cases of animal abuse. Perhaps, a stricter law or heavier punishment should be introduced to finally break the streak of animal cruelty cases that have been happening nationwide, causing multiple outcries from the animal rights activist and public alike. In these cases, Dr. Calvin thinks that cruel incidents like the launderette cat may earn a lot of attention and publicity but it is only momentarily and the government should be more proactive than reactive in seeking solutions to end animal abuse for once and for all.

Animal cruelty cases are rampant but not many of them are reported and even lesser convicted. Dr. Calvin is someone who tries his best to help and believe that the call for a cumulative effort from all individuals including the government will be able to help bring animal welfare to a greater good. Together with his team, he showcased an amazing ability to make up for each other's shortcomings and amplify the strengths of one another in order to bring his business forward. He applies whatever he has learned from scratch into his day-to-day life and business operations including his own branding and marketing. Despite having past experiences that do not relate to veterinary practices, Dr. Calvin has proved that no matter how far you think that you have drifted away from your initial goal, as long as you have strong willpower to keep going, you will still be able to succeed. Thank you for taking the time out to share your personal and professional insights with us, Dr. Calvin.

If you haven't yet, remember to check out the full video of Dr. Calvin sharing his experiences, insights and views on his business, work management and animal welfare on our YouTube channel, Kreloses!