Clients celebrate Texas veterinarian retiring after 4 decades of animal care

FLINT, Texas — An East Texas veterinarian is hanging up his coat after more than 40 years of practice.

Heavy hearts filled the Flint Veterinary Clinic Thursday, as community members said farewell to a longtime veterinarian Dr. Michael Dixon. Some longtime patients celebrated his long career as he looks towards retirement.

“It’s been emotional and it’s been hard, but I’ve been able to work through the difficult part,” Dixon said.

He has 42 years of practice under his belt, and there’s over a century of medicine in the Dixon family. 

“I knew in the ninth grade, that this is what I wanted to do,” Dixon said. “My grandfather was a veterinarian.”

Dixon’s grandfather graduated from vet school in 1913, his father became a physician, and now both of his children are in medicine.

“I guess I have to have a grandchild who becomes a vet,” Dixon said.

Thursday was another day for Dixon seeing some of his last clients and patients before his departure.

On his last day, community members came together to say goodbye to someone who wasn’t only their vet but a member of the family.

“They gave such longevity to so many of my animals and my mother’s. I wouldn’t have known what to do without them,” longtime client Holly Welmaker said.

It was a bittersweet moment for those who have been visiting for decades, like Welmaker who has trusted Dixon with her pets for nearly 35 years.

“I don’t want him to go, but I want him to be able to continue the new chapter in his life as well as mine, but both happy and sad tears today,” Welmaker said.

Sherri Reed said her goodbye as well after bringing her pets to her trusted vet for many years.

“We knew it was coming. We just didn’t think it would come so fast,” Reed said. “We just wanted him to stay here forever, but we know that that it can’t be.”

The community will forever feel the absence of Dixon, a void that will ultimately be filled by the next generation of leaders, including Dr. Mary Gabriel and Tammy Wilson.

“It’s hard because that’s an era that’s closing, but the next era is here,” Dixon said. “But they will take great care of the practice of our clients.”

Now just months after his longtime partner, Dr. Paul Gainer retired, Dixon followed.

“We started this together so I guess it makes sense for us to end together,” Dixon said.

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