INTERVIEW: This Friday, it’s time to hang with the ‘Hendersons’
Photo: From left, Ryan, Ross and Tony Henderson star in the first season of Hanging With the Hendersons. Photo courtesy of Animal Planet / Provided by Animal Planet with permission.
A couple years ago, web surfers may have landed on a popular video featuring Dr. Ross Henderson singing sweetly to an animal in his veterinary care. The strumming of his guitar, his soothing vocals and the calming presence felt by the animal led the video to be a hit, even mentioned on news networks as the latest in a long line of viral sensations.
Fast forward to 2019, and the entire Henderson family is getting in on the good publicity. Dr. Ross is not alone. He comes from a family of veterinarians, including his brother, Dr. Ryan, and his father, Dr. Anthony (or Tony). They work at Fox Hollow Animal Hospital outside Denver, caring to the needs of the four-legged friends in the local area.
Hanging With the Hendersons premieres Friday, Jan. 11 at 9 p.m. on Animal Planet. The reality series follows the adventures of the family-run clinic, a place where the veterinarians have no idea what might walk through the door.
Recently, Dr. Tony and Dr. Ryan spoke with Hollywood Soapbox about how the TV series came to be. Here’s what they had to say …
On their excitement for the new series …
Dr. Ryan: “Yeah, I’d say 90 percent excitement, 10 percent anxiety. I think that’s a pretty good percentage, right?”
On whether they will throw a party for the premiere …
Dr. Ryan: “It seems like it was the biggest debate for me. I was the most particular about how it was going to happen. There were rumors about throwing a big Fox Hole party, and everyone watching it then. I was kind of against it because I’m maybe the shy one. It sounds like we’re going to do a family thing, so I’m happy with that.”
Dr. Tony: “We’re going to follow it up with a company party type thing, so it’s like things they do in Ireland. We’re going to a restaurant/bar and decide where we’re going to hold it. We’re excited, and we have no idea what we’re going to see. So that’s even more exciting.”
On how the reality series was developed …
Dr. Ryan: “The stuff that we go through at the hospital we’ve always kind of said, man, we need a reality TV show about this place because of the excitement, little bit of drama, and then the medicine and all the cute animals. Sure enough, Ross’ viral video definitely attracted five different production companies. I think they must have Googled us and found out that we were a family. The Ross aspect and then the family aspect kind of gained their interest. It was kind of interesting. I don’t think this is usual, but we had our pick of five different production studios that were trying to get us to sign with them. We’re all new and naïve at this, but that was kind of cool because then we got to pick who we vibed with the best. We picked Critical Content, and they’ve done an amazing job. They’re like family now. They’re amazing.”
On dealing with the cameras in the clinic …
Dr. Tony: “We had our own idea of how this was going to work, and, of course, that didn’t count for anything. So having the cameras there, our job is so intense, so our thought process is on what we’re actually doing. And the cameras kind of drift away to the side, and interesting development was that people think you get distracted by the cameras. But I think it elevates everybody’s professional action and decisions when you’re on permanent record, so you better do things right and short on the shortcuts.
“They were very, very accommodating. I don’t know how you can walk backward with a 27-pound camera on your shoulder without bumping into things, but they did really well — very gracious, very polite, no drama. The whole process was amazing, and it was fun for our clients. Our clients obviously loved it. All the front desk staff, they all totally embraced it, and we were out of our comfortable zone every minute of the day, which was kind of a nice little mini adrenaline rush. So we’ll see how productive we were.”
On whether the filming added a lot to their busy schedules …
Dr. Ryan: “It was additional work on top of our normal veterinary schedules, but nothing we couldn’t handle, but at the same time it was really nice. They did make us feel special. They were there kind of reminding us how cool our jobs were because we do this every day. We kind of get used to it, saving animals, but they were there saying, man, this case is so cool. What you guys do is so interesting. So it was kind of nice having them there for that, but, yeah, definitely our days off included filming. So not many days off during the filming process, but it was a lot of fun though.
Dr. Tony: My biggest concern as the owner was that it would impact if an interesting case came along one of my sons or one of the other doctors would then be pulled out of the schedule to accommodate the camera crew, but because we have three immediate family members — Dr. Ross, Dr. Ryan and myself — we did come in there days off to accommodate those situations. So our clients were never kept waiting. They were never put in an awkward situation, and that’s what the whole family concept is. We’re all really good friends, and they also have a younger brother here. So there’s three brothers and their dad, girlfriends, wives, etc. into the mix, so it worked out awesome. And hopefully that will show up on the TV show.”
On how Dr. Ryan became interested in veterinary science …
Dr. Ryan: “My story is unique. The cliche for most veterinarians is I’ve wanted to be a veterinarian since I was 3 or 4 years old. Coincidentally that’s Ross’ story, my brother Ross. My story is a little different.
“I actually was into graphic design and art, and I was on yearbook. I was one of the designers on yearbook in high school and honestly a nerd, and I started getting frustrated with being creative in a certain timeframe. I couldn’t be creative how I wanted, and at that same time, I was coming in and cleaning Fox Hollow. I was the janitor, and I’d come in maybe at 5 o’clock. My dad would work until 6 or 7, so I’d get to see him work for that last hour.
“And he was just high on life. He was just so excited. He was just so happy at work, and people loved him at work, his clients. And I started really appreciating that, and I’ve always had a love for animals. So it kind of seemed like the perfect fit, and that’s my story. I actually ended up deciding in high school, which is kind of unique for a veterinarian I think.”
On the variety of the job …
Dr. Tony: “I’ve been a veterinarian for 41 years, and I’ve never, never had one day the same as the next. When you walk into an exam room 20 times a day, 30 days a month, you don’t know who’s on the other side of the door and what particular veterinary case or challenge it is. That’s what keeps you out of your comfort zone. It makes every day different. It makes every day challenging, but at the end of the day, that makes it so rewarding.
“The 95 percent is I love my work. It’s very satisfying and balanced by the 5 percent of sadness and old age and cancer, etc., etc. So it’s a huge inequality which benefits the animals, benefits us. I’ve worked in the factories back in the UK and sat for 10 hours doing the same thing, and that made me appreciate being a veterinarian because I don’t know how people do that for a living. Yes, every day, every minute is different.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Hanging With the Hendersons premieres Friday, Jan. 11 at 9 p.m. on Animal Planet. Click here for more information.
