INTERVIEW: Dr. Oakley is back, and it’s cold outside
Photo: Dr. Michelle Oakley is the star of Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet. Photo courtesy of National Geographic / Liz Scherffius / Provided by press site with permission.
A new season of Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet is back, with episodes airing Saturdays at 9 p.m. on Nat Geo WILD. There’s also a special episode Friday, Nov. 26 (called “Home Is Where the Vet Is”), which is part of the network’s Vetsgiving celebration. The reality series follows the Alaskan adventures of Dr. Michelle Oakley, a veterinarian who helps the animals of the Yukon region, no matter where they live and how difficult the conditions can be. She lives and works in a beautiful, but rough environment, where snow is never too far away and sometimes animals live with their companions miles off the grid.
“We had our first snow like three weeks ago,” Oakley said in a recent phone interview. “So I’m mostly based out of southeast Alaska near the Yukon border, and that stays pretty warm. Like it’s raining right now, but we have had snow already. But then I work at the wildlife center, and I do a few wildlife projects that are more interior. It’s been snowing. We were out working on bison in 6 inches of snow just last week.”
An enormous part of Oakley’s day-to-day is making her professional obligations work according to the rules of Mother Nature. She doesn’t run a typical vet clinic. This is a mobile rural unit that serves clients in the remotest parts of Alaska and the Yukon. There are slick roads, tons fo snow and daily challenges that are sometimes unpredictable.
“This past season is kind of fun because it starts out in the winter, and we had massive, massive snowstorms that were shutting everything down, making it so people couldn’t get anywhere,” she said. “We had several frostbite issues with animals, and then it went into the spring and summer when it was 80 degrees. And for us that’s hot, and everything was overheating. We definitely have the swings and the extremes. Now it’s time to slow down because we have to remember how to drive on ice again.”
Oakley loves the snow, but she can take or leave the cold temperatures. As the old saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing choices. She doesn’t love when the mercury drops below zero, but she appreciates what the cold brings every year.
“I love snowshoeing,” she said of her hobbies. “I love backcountry skiing. I love snowmobiling. We do some of our house calls by snowmobile, and that will be on the show this season. So, it’s fun for people to see that it’s not just recreation here. It’s kind of how you get around. I just get really excited about the snow. We have snowfall sometimes in July. We had one a couple years ago that shut down a 1st of July bike race. The bike race kind of goes between the Yukon and Alaska, so it goes through a winter pass. But even in town we were doing snow angels, and it was July 1. You’ve got to love it. You can’t really fight the environment here. You’ve got to learn to go with it and to adapt to it. I think that’s one of the really cool things about living up here. You’re watching the animals adapt to the swings in the weather and crazy changes we’ve had, but we have to do it, too. We had a horse laceration, like a horse sliced its foot, and it was 40 below. And my oldest daughter, Sierra, is my technician, so she’s freezing, pouring warm water over the wound because the blood is freezing.”
There are some recommendations that Oakley has to any pet owner who lives in this type of environment. For starters, adaptation is key, and that means some dogs need jackets. A lot of people, she said, have little poodles, and they may need an extra level of protection — not only from the temps.
“It’s not so much the weather,” she said. “You have to watch out for eagles and coyotes and things like that. It’s definitely a little different keeping some of the smaller pets here, but it’s very doable.”
Oakley added: “I wouldn’t be doing this if each and every patient didn’t matter to me. I guess it’s all about your perspective. When I see puppies being born, I just think each one of those little souls is going to make someone so happy. It’s such a cool thing to see. When you have a dog, and you have that bond, that unconditional love, there’s nothing like it. And for so many people through COVID, or people who are living alone, it means everything to them, and for me to be a part of that bond, to help keep that going, I’m not going to question it. There was a woman on our show where she has this little Dachshund, and she lives way out, about 30 miles from the nearest town. And I mean 30 miles of wilderness, so we had to snowmobile out there to work on her little dog who was starting to have some back issues. Dachshunds tend to get disc problems. She would have done anything. That dog is her constant companion every day, and believe it or not, he’s an amazing little bear dog. She has grizzly bears or brown bears that are through her yard regularly. Moose as well you could startle, and that would be quite dangerous. And little Oscar will let you know that they’re around, so it’s about the companionship, but also they’ll save our lives here. I don’t think twice about it.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet airs new episodes Saturdays at 9 p.m. on Nat Geo WILD. Click here for more information.
Dr Oakley is one of my favorite shows. Thanks for this interview.
Dr Oakley is so awesome. She is entertaining,so knowledgeable on so many things, and hershow is really a must watch ! She and her girls are a plus in any situation. She has taught me so much. I have 2 Dobermans and she has helped me with issues that they are having. I hope Dr Oakley does many seasons, with ease. She isan excellent teachet.