For more than 12 years, Donna’s Animal Clinic has helped pets of all sizes. But now a lack of staff threatens to close the clinic, leaving Greenland without a permanent animal clinic.
Since March, Donnas Dyreklinik has been looking for a permanent veterinarian. But not a single application has found its way to the clinic’s inbox. This means that the clinic’s more than 12-year journey is now dangerously close to reaching its end.
– If there are no applicants, the clinic will close. It won’t be around any longer. A car repair shop can’t make cars without a mechanic, says Tom Amtoft. He is the clinic manager at Donnas Dyreklinik and chairman of Nuumi Uumasut, an association that works to ensure that animals have access to a veterinarian.
He has been there from the beginning, when the clinic first opened its doors to various paws, claws and beaks – and even snakes.
– We started with nothing. In 12 years, we have created many good collaborations and received a lot of support. That we have been able to succeed in creating an animal clinic on the terms we have, it is absolutely fantastic, he says.
But despite good collaborations and lots of support from the local community, the clinic will close if a new veterinarian is not hired.
– I think we can run the year to the end, maybe a little more, but then no longer, he says.
A small clinic with a big heart
The name “Donna’s Veterinary Clinic” comes from a dog named Donna who developed a serious eye problem more than 12 years ago. At the time, there was no veterinarian in the area, so Tom Amtoft and a group of volunteers took matters into their own hands. They founded the Nuumi Uumasut association and had a veterinarian flown in – and Donna was saved.
That was the beginning of Donna’s Veterinary Clinic.
– Donna lived until last fall, when she died at the age of 16. Donna is the essence of the clinic – a place where volunteers can save lives, says Tom Amtoft.
A lot has since sprung from an evil eye. But Tom Amtoft also has a more personal reason for his commitment:
– I have experienced failure from people myself. With animals you always know where you have them. They are 100 percent honest. Saving animals is what keeps me going. It allows me to fight a little harder.
A crumbling life’s work
Although the clinic has faced challenging situations before, this is the first time that closure feels so close. And the pressure is taking its toll.
– It’s stressful, it’s a lot of pressure, and it makes me sad. The animals are our responsibility. I’ve put everything and more into the clinic, he says.
He fears that Greenland could be set back 12 years if Donna’s Animal Clinic closes – back to a time when the animals could not get any help.
– It would be a defeat for me. To drive past this building without Donna’s. It would be very difficult. It’s not a nice feeling to see your life’s work crumble, he says.
The clinic’s uncertain future also casts shadows over Tom Amtoft’s own life:
– I’ll have a hard time being up here if there’s no vet. I need to talk to my family about what our future looks like if we close, he says.
Not yet closed
Although the closure threatens the little blue animal clinic, the fighting spirit has not yet burned out – even though the work is hard.
– It’s hard when there’s a lot of adversity. You get a little tired. It’s a tough situation we’re in. But it’s not lost yet, says Tom Amtoft.
For the time being, two temporary workers will help keep the clinic open. Tom Amtoft hopes that everyone who knows Donna’s animal clinic will show their support in the coming time.
Next week, the clinic will be visited by the organization Vetfamily, who will write about Donna’s Veterinary Clinic in the Journals for Veterinarians. The hope is that the exposure can attract a new veterinarian – or two.
– Ideally, a veterinary couple who can take the clinic forward, he says.