Dr Patrick Graham simply loves animals. But that’s not surprising, given that he grew up seeing his parents rearing goats and pigs in their backyard.

Today, if you visit Graham’s house in St Catherine, you will find goats, cattle, German shepherd dogs, peahens, eclectus and yellow-naped Amazon parrots in his backyard.

The Jamaican ‘Dr Dolittle’, who is now a veterinarian, also rears horses. However, he keeps them on a farm in St Elizabeth.

Dr Graham became known to more Jamaicans when he won the national Champion Goat Farmer title for 2017 at the annual Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food show for the third-consecutive year.

It’s an achievement that makes him proud as he reflected on the fact that his career path would possibly have been different had he taken up a football scholarship at Erskine College in the United States. But being a “homely guy afraid of the big world”, he declined the offer.

After leaving high school, Graham worked at the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) for one year before deciding to study at the University of Windsor in Canada. Although suffering a major culture shock at first, Graham said he settled in once his friends arrived at the university.

On completion of his studies there, Graham went to Tuskegee University in the US to attain his veterinarian degree with a specialisation in horses, having developed a special liking for the animals.

“Before I left for university, when I was at BOJ I went and bought a mare, but I had to hide and buy the mare because I didn’t want my mother to know. So I bought the mare and kept it, bred it; it had foals and stuff like that,” Graham recounted.

“When I was ready to go university, I went to my mother and said, ‘Mama, you have to look after a horse,’ and she said, ‘Jesus Christ, what yu go do boy?’” he related.

However, his mother eventually said she had no problem, and, with the help of his father, took care of the horse while Graham was at university.

According to Dr Graham, his love for horses was largely inspired by his godfather, Aubrey Wong who, he explained, was one of the biggest importers of race horses at the time.

Dr Graham’s love for horses has resulted in him working as one of the veterinarians at Caymanas Park, the horse racing track in St Catherine, where he uses special acupuncture techniques to treat lame horses.

His association with horse racing is well known as he is also a breeder of thoroughbreds, including the 2006 Jamaica Derby winner Ransom Man.

The care and dedication he gives to his horses is replicated with the other prize-winning animals he rears, among them his Anglo-Nubian goats.

“Any animal I’m buying, I have to find the best,” Dr Graham said, adding that as a breeder, many of the animals he has sold have gone on to win many competitions and races.

“This is what all my life is about, just animals, parrots, birds… all my money, all my pay, goes into animal feed; goes into the care of animals. To me, it keeps you off the road. Instead of going to a bar and having a drink with a friend and playing domino, I’ll come home to my animals,” Dr Graham explained.

Regarding his triumphs at Denbigh, Dr Graham said he will be entering next year to defend his title and is confident that he will again be declared champion.

But until the competition rolls around, the veterinarian of 29 years is more than content to spend his days caring for horses and improving the quality of animals on his farm.

“Do what you love, whether it gives money or not. and you don’t switch to a job because the other one pays more; keep and stick to the one you love because eventually you can get good in your field, which you will if you love it,” Dr Graham advised.

“That job that doesn’t seem like a good-paying job will automatically give you dividends in the end. You can demand more or ask for more. Like someone doing the same job for one dollar, you could probably ask for $10 and they’ll give you,” he added.

— Javene Skyers