MILWAUKEE — If you have a pet at home and have been to a vet, ask yourself, how diverse was the office? What about the veterinarian?
Dr. Ramard Wright is one of a few vets in Milwaukee that looks like him.
He runs his own animal hospital in Brown Deer called Wright's Brown Deer Animal Hospital. It's a small vet clinic fit for a large number of clients. Dr. Wright is busy from sunup to sundown. He is the only doctor working at the hospital.
"In one day, I can see everything -- eyes, cancer, internal medicine, surgery," Dr. Wright said.
Usually, the animals he treats become routine, like dogs, cats, and exotic animals. From one patient to the other, he says most people don't realize how much emotion the job can bring.
"Within an hour or two-hour span, I may have to euthanize a dog and a rat then meet a new parent who is first exposed to a puppy. So, your personality has to shift."
Working with animals has been his passion since he was five years old. And it wasn't an easy journey.
Dr. Wright faced many challenges growing up, being exposed to violence and drugs as he lived on the tougher streets of Milwaukee.
"Being in the inner city, you're stuck just seeing city life but my grandfather had a cottage."
The cottage is where his love grew for animals. He and others noticed he was good with animals, and he knew he wanted to pursue it as a career.
"My grandfather always said do what you're good at and make sure you're the best at it."
It's taken hard work and courage to get there. Dr. Wright says being a veterinarian requires a lot of math and science knowledge as the career becomes more competitive than medical doctors due to the lack of schools.
Dr. Wright attended Riverside High School, went to a historically Black college, UW-Milwaukee for undergraduate school then applied to vet school in Madison, Wisconsin.
"As far as African American males, I was the only male in school for four years."
According to the latest data in 2018 from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only about 2% of the U.S. veterinary workforce is made up of Black Americans.
When asked why he thinks that is, Dr. Wright said he thinks there aren't many in the Black community who consider being a medical doctor as opposed to a veterinarian.
"There's a niche. You know, good and bad. Everybody wants that discount. You know, remember me back in the day?" He laughed and joked. "But it also helps because I feel like they trust and respect me more too. It's not just a business, I know these folks."
Dr. Wright says one of his favorite parts of the job is not knowing what the day will bring but also realizing that he is in the position to help a lot of people and animals.
"That's the kind of reassuring and rewarding part of being a veterinarian."
What might be most impressive is how Dr. Wright balances his work and home life. After working 10-to-12-hour days, six days a week, he spends the rest of his time at home with his family. He has 10 children and several pets. His oldest child is 23 years old and the youngest is 1 1/2. He also has triplet girls.
"We have a little baby zoo. We have three dogs so a Shepherd and two Boerboel's, we have a Maine Coon Kitty, a regular domestic short-haired kitty, Rainbow Boa Constrictor, so a snake. Then we have a Macaw."
Dr. Wright says he tries to encourage kids of color to get involved in careers like his. He loves serving the community that means so much to him. So many people visit Dr. Wright's office. In fact, some of his pet surgeries are already booked through July.
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