Lynch Creek Veterinary Clinic

photos & story by Kyle Hollinger

In the coming months Plains

veterinarian Dr. Alan Marley will spay or neuter 800 cats thanks to a Petsmart grant that The Thompson River Animal Care Shelter (TRACS) recently received. Although he travels up and down the river valley his commute to work is a quick 50-foot walk between his house and the clinic.

Marley is the owner of the Lynch Creek Veterinary Clinic, the one clinic in rural Plains, Montana, which means he often travels up to forty miles each way to treat animals in the area. After selling a veterinary clinic in Wyoming, Dr. Marley and his family moved to Plains eight years ago.

Marley's has a staff of three assistants and two office cats. The nearest towns are Paradise, seven miles to the southeast, and Thompson Falls, located twenty-five miles to the northwest. Sometimes he will drive over one hour to perform a ten-minute vaccination procedure, then drive an hour back to the clinic.

He and his wife enjoy working in Plains and they hope to retire in the small western Montana town.