About Us 

 

Dr. Dave has been active in the Veterinary world since 1966 when he graduated from the University of Guelph Ontario Vetrerinary College.  Upon graduating, Dr. Dave worked at the Eglinton Veterinary Hospital for Dr. DeGeer, who inspired Dave to not only help the animals in his care, but give his clients the best possible experience with their Vet.  In 1969, Dr. Dave purchased St. Clair Veterinary Paractice and led this team until his retirement in 2006.  In his career, Dr. Dave has owned and managed five veterinary hospitals, and helped to mentor and grow many youg veterinarians. Below, Dr. Dave shares his inspiration for turning his experience with animals into a consulting business, and a timeline of his most significant achievements.

 

Let me share with you the story which encouraged me to start this consulting business, a story which epitomizes what I believe is holding the majority of Veterinary clinics back from reaching their full potential:

My son took his cat into a veterinary clinic to have his teeth looked at - teeth that were in bad shape. My son does not have much money to spend on his pet, but he was willing to spend what he could to give his cat some much needed relief from the rotten teeth and infection in his mouth. My son told the Veterinarian that he had $500 to spend - could they please do whatever they could for that amount of money to give his cat some relief? My son was turned away - the procedure would cost over $700, and they would not consider any alternatives which might cost less. So my son walked away with a cat in bad shape, and the hospital lost $500 dollars worth of business (plus untold future money from a client who would not be returning due to a bad customer relations, and who would not be reccomending this practice to his friends and family). Worst of all, my son's cat would have to continue to suffer. Luckily for my son, I am a Veterinarian and was able to use my relationships with colleagues to get his cat the help it needed, but the same is not true for the majority of our clients out there.

How would I have handled this differently? I would ask you, the Veterinarian, come up with a creative solution which would benefit both your business and the client.  You would have $500 exta in your business, plus a client grateful for your help, and who would bring in many more dollars in future both from his own pocket and from the pockets of those he reccomends you to.

I will not tell you that you can work less hours, or that you can charge more. Quite the opposite, in fact. I will ask you to rethink your staffing model and your own working hours to ensure that your hospital is being run both efficiently and cost effectively.  I will ask you to forget what is currently known in the Veterinary world as "customer compliance" in exchange for "customer loyalty".   My goal for my you is to allow you to enjoy your practice, and feel the excitement for the industry that you felt in Veterinary School, and to allow you to be able to retire comfortably when you are ready to do so.

 

But why should you listen to me? Below, find a summary of my expansive experience:

1966 - Graduated from University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College - Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

1966-1968 - Worked at Eglinton Veterinary Hospital for Dr. DeGeer

1969 - Purchased St. Clair Veterinary Practice. Operated until 2006, practice is still in operation

1974 - Purchased Don Mills Veterinary Practice and Building (1984- Sold Don Mills Practice but maintained building under lease) 

1982 - Purchased Guildwood Village Veterinary Hospital (sold in 1986)

1988 - Founded St. Clair Realty Inc. and bought buildings housing St. Clair Veterinary Practice 

1989 - Purchased Arnold Cresent Veterinary Hospital, practice and building (still in operation)

1999 - Purchased building in Aurora and opened LeGallais Veterinary Hospital.

2004 - Sold Arnold Crescent Veterinary Practice, continued to maintain building under lease through St. Clair Realty Inc.

2005 - Sold LeGallais Veterinary Practice, continued to maintain building under lease through St. Clair Realty Inc

2006 - Retired from the practice of Veterinary Medicine. Sold St. Clair Veterinary Practice, continued to maintain building under lease through St. Clair Realty Inc.

To date, Dr. LeGallais still own 3 Veterinary buildings under lease plus at this time one other building housing a professional office.

Dr. LeGallais also was a member of the TAVM and served on the Executive board. He was always interested in continuing education and was innovative in upgrading surgical procedures throughout his practice.