The (Truly) Incredible Dr. Pol
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By Joan Harrigan
Nat Geo WILD, the network that brought “Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet” to Westminster last year was back again for 2020. This year, the lines at their booth were even longer as “The Incredible Dr. Jan Pol” and his wife, Diane Pol, greeted fans with hugs, signed pictures, and posed for selfies.
The Pols have become a cable TV institution since their show debuted almost a decade ago. Nat Geo runs a highly-anticipated marathon, “12 Days of Pol,” over the holidays. It’s not exaggerating to say that the Pols (as well as their son, Charles, and some of the vets who work in their practice) have become bona fide celebrities, though plain-speaking Dr. Pol would disagree. “Look, I’m a veterinarian, just a veterinarian,” he greeted one semi-star struck fan. “And I was a vet long before I had a show.”
The Pol Veterinary Practice is located in Weidman, in central Michigan’s farm country. Diane Pol grew up in Mayville, Michigan, north of Detroit; she met Jan Pol when he was a high school exchange student from the Netherlands. They wrote letters back and forth after he returned to his homeland to attend veterinary school; after two years, Pol wrote that his father had cancer, and “if you want to get to meet him, you should come over.” Diane spent the summer with the Pol family before returning to Michigan to complete her education—she has a bachelor’s in elementary education from Michigan State, and later earned a master’s in special education reading.
Back in the Netherlands, Jan Pol found himself part of a vet school class of 300, crammed into a room meant for 100 students. “We were told, ‘if you want to be a vet, fine,’” he recalls. “‘If you want to practice, forget it.’” Of his vet school friends, only one other student was successful in finding a position in private practice, “and he retired 15 years ago,” Dr. Pol says. The rest went into meat inspection, research, or other related positions.
Australia, New Zealand… or Michigan?
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Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=181409
Posted by AnthonyA
on Apr 21 2020. Filed under Current Articles, Featured.
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