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Dr. Hubert Bennett
January 7, 1930 - November 2, 2013
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<div itemprop="description">Dr. Hubert S. Bennett <br /> <br />With great sadness, the death of well-known and respected Halifax area veterinarian, Dr. Hubert S. Bennett, is reported by his family. He died peacefully on November 2, 2013, in the White Hills Long Term Care Centre, Hammonds Plains NS, following a struggle with Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease. He will be remembered for his long career of compassionate and highly competent care of animals, whether family pets, large animals or native wildlife. <br /> <br />Born in Worcester, England, January 7, 1930, Dr. Bennett was the son of Bernard Joseph Bennett and Dorothy Gwenyth Bennett (nee Dunn). Hubert, his parents and his two eldest brothers sailed from England on the S.S. Duchess of Bedford, landing in Quebec City on April 24, 1931. They then traveled to New Brunswick by train, ending their long journey near the small village of Bath. Hubert spent his boyhood on a small farm near Bath. He attended a local country school in Mineral followed by three years of high school in Bath, graduating in 1948. His education continued at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Bible Hill, where he earned a DD.ENG diploma in 1950. He was admitted to the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), Guelph ON, at that time affiliated with the University of Toronto. It took him longer than four years to earn his veterinary degree because he ran out of money. For a time, he worked in an automobile assembly plant in Oshawa ON, earning his DVM degree in 1957. <br /> <br />Ever mindful that education is expensive and students always need money, for many years he contributed to the NSAC Class of 1950 Bursary and also to the OVC 1957 Bursary. <br /> <br />Following graduation from OVC, he moved to Nova Scotia and practiced as a veterinarian for the next fifty years in Dartmouth, Halifax and lastly in Lower Sackville, retiring in 2007. He moved from Halifax to Lower Sackville in 1978. He saw many changes over fifty years; we wish he would have written about his many experiences with animals and the changes in veterinary care that he was part of, but, sadly, he never did. <br />Everyone who worked with him or was his client has his or her favorite &ldquo;Dr. Bennett story&rdquo;. This is one of ours: On two separate occasions his elderly clients had to be admitted to nursing home care. There were no other persons left who could take care of their dogs, so he adopted them; first Pepe, then later, Beau. Every Wednesday afternoon, his traditional afternoon off work, he would take the dog to visit the owner in her nursing home, for the rest of each owner&rsquo;s life. <br /> <br />Hubert had many adventures with animals of all kinds; here is just one of them. Think back to the late 1970s; early 1980s, before the time when veterinary emergency clinics existed. After office hours, veterinarians took turns being on call overnight and on weekends. Hubert received a call from the crew of a Japanese fishing boat docked in Halifax. They had accidentally caught a very large bird in one of their nets and wanted the bird treated for skin abrasions. Hubert picked up what he identified as an emperor penguin and treated it at the animal hospital. Imagine an almost four foot tall emperor penguin calmly sitting up in a cardboard carton in the back seat of a car. It was an amazing sight and must have caused a few turned heads of persons who observed this majestic animal as Hubert drove him back to the ship. He supplied the fishers with tubes of antibiotic ointment; they planned to return the penguin to close to where they think he joined their crew. <br /> <br />In his younger years, Hubert enjoyed downhill skiing, cross country running, target pistol shooting, scuba diving and for a time he held a private pilot&rsquo;s license. In his later years, he enjoyed reading, gardening, exploring the highways and biways of Nova Scotia and walking his dogs. Hubert owned or adopted many dogs; he seemed to gravitate towards Irish wolfhounds, miniature French poodles, Pomeranians and Yorkshire terriers. He also adopted a number of adult &ldquo;Easter bunnies&rdquo; who needed homes and rehabilitated many native birds and small mammals. <br /> <br />Hubert was the recipient of the prestigious 2010 Award of Excellence in Veterinary Medicine and Animal Care awarded by the Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI, Charlottetown. Following, we quote some of the text from Hubert&rsquo;s award citation: <br /> <br />&ldquo;Throughout his long career in veterinary medicine, Dr. Bennett was a tireless advocate for his patients and their owners, and a great mentor for young veterinarians. After growing up on a family farm in New Brunswick, Dr. Bennett turned his childhood experiences into a career of compassionate and highly competent care for animals of all sizes and breeds.&rdquo; <br /> <br />&ldquo;In addition to his practice in small and large animal medicine, Dr. Bennett was one of the first veterinarians to be involved in the Nova Scotia Bird Society&rsquo;s raptor rehabilitation program, which began in 1982. He was also one of the first veterinarians to show a keen interest in working with dog breeders in Nova Scotia, and dedicated considerable time to pony clubs, breeder clubs and school groups. A firm believer in continuing education, he was committed to staying current with advancement in veterinary medicine and practices. He retired in 2007.&rdquo; <br /> <br />&lsquo; &ldquo;Through his involvement and dedication to his patients, clients and the profession, Dr. Bennett has served as a role model for all veterinarians in Nova Scotia, one which we should all aspire to emulate.&rdquo; &rsquo; <br /> <br />We, his family, thank the many veterinarians, veterinary support staff and clients who Hubert worked with over the years. Although he might not have told you, we know you all were very important to him. <br />Hubert is survived by five brothers and sisters: Mark and Germaine (Gagnon) Bennett of Centreville NB, Bernard and Ida (Malcolm) Bennett of Gananoque ON, Francis and Meriel (Smith) Bennett of Worcester, England, Teresa Jones (Ivan) who lives near Tewksbury in England, Sheila Johnson (Gerald) of Cheadle, northern England and 12 nieces and nephews. In addition, he is survived by his long-time companion, Elizabeth Foy and by his last dog, his beloved Yorkshire terrier, SAMe. Hubert was predeceased by his parents, his brother-in-law, Gerald Johnson and one nephew. <br />Hubert was a good person who worked hard all his life; we are relieved that his body and mind are now at rest and at peace. Cremation has taken place with his ashes interred at the Oakridge Memory Gardens, Lower Sackville. Per his wishes, there will be no visitation or funeral. <br /> <br />Hubert&rsquo;s family wish to express their gratitude to the physicians who treated him and to the administration and staff at The Glades and subsequently the White Hills Long Term Care Centre who took good care of him and kept him safe every day for almost three years. <br /> <br />For those wishing to provide a memorial for Hubert, two suggestions are: the Faculty of Agriculture Class of 1950 Bursary at Dalhousie University, Office of External Relations, 6300 Coburg Road, PO Box 15000, Halifax NS B3H 4R2 or The OVC 1957 Bursary (801548) in memory of Dr. Hubert S. Bennett to Alumni House, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph ON N1G 2W1 or online at www.alumni.uoguelph.ca/give/tribute <br />Other suggestions are an animal shelter, spay/neuter program, wildlife rehabilitation centre of your choice or the Recreation Department, White Hills Long Term Care Centre, 297 Pockwock Road, Hammonds Plains, NS B4B 1N5. <br /> <br /></div>