Bob Partridge qualified from Edinburgh’s Royal Dick Veterinary School in 1984 having served briefly in the British Army with the Royal Engineers. After a period in mixed, equine and small animal practices he established his own practice in Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England in 1988. His interest in Veterinary Dentistry was established in 1986 when he was one of the first vets in the UK to have access to a high-speed air driven dental machine. This led to Bob being a founder member of the British Veterinary Dental Association (BVDA) in 1988 and acting as Treasurer. The practice in Harrogate grew and in 1992 Bob opened additional premises, creating the first Veterinary Hospital in the whole of North Yorkshire (England’s largest county). An integral part of this development was the “Peter Emily Dental Theatre” and the numbers and complexity of the dental cases (both internal and referred) increased. The practice also now included a further branch practice in Ripon. In 1998 he attended his first European Veterinary Dental Society meeting and has been a regular attendee since, only regretting he had not joined earlier! In 2011 Bob achieved Diplomate status of the European Veterinary Dental College. This was one of his proudest moments as it represented many years of work and allowed him to use the accolade of Recognised European (EBVS) Veterinary Specialist in Dentistry. He is also a Recognised RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Dentistry. Knowing the benefits that he has received from being a vet, Bob has always tried to put something back into the profession he loves. He helped found the BVDA, has served for many years on BSAVA Congress Committee, including three years as Treasurer, he has served as an officer and then President of the Veterinary Hospitals Association (BVHA) for over ten years and was elected to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Council (the governing body of UK vets) in 2006 and re-elected for a further four year term in 2010. He has also served a term as Secretary for the European College of Veterinary Dentistry. He continues to serve as a council member of BVHA and in that role serves on RCVS Practice Standards Group, helping to design practice standards for UK veterinary practices. He is a Trustee of the Veterinary Specialists Association (VSA) and serves as Treasurer. In 1999 Bob founded Pet Smile Month, an annual pet dental health promotion. This led to over 1500 veterinary practices in the UK providing free dental check-ups for clients, together with distributing dental health promotional materials and widespread media coverage in the National and regional press, radio and TV – even making the front page of the Beano. The Peter Emily Dental Theatre was completely revamped in 2015 to include an additional work station and to house Bob’s increasing large collection of dental toys essential high tech equipment. The acquisitions included a Vimago CT scanner, which opened up a whole new vista of investigations and treatments. In 2016 Bob sold Veterinary Hospital Ltd, working for the new owners for a while. Then in 2018 set up the independent VetDentist Ltd to continue to provide referral dental services. Initially the practice was housed as a “pop-up” within a former colleague’s branch practice in Leeds. In 2021 VetDentist relocated to purpose-built premises in Harrogate. This incorporated the Emily Eisner Holmstrom (EEH) Operatory – honouring the greats of Veterinary Dentistry. VetDentist won the BVHA overall Veterinary Practice design award in 2022. VetDentist includes solar panels and batteries meaning that annually 60% of energy requirements are provided by solar. The practice is regarded as perhaps one of the best equipped dedicated dental referral practices in Europe. Three dental bays are separated by large lead glass screens allowing clear visibility. Each is equipped with state of the art dental units, radiography etc. A latest generation Vimago HDVI provides 3D imaging. See www.VetDentist.co.uk for full details and a practice tour. VetDentist was one of the first Veterinary businesses to achieve full accreditation for Living Wage, Living Hours & Living Pension status, confirming Bob’s aim of treating his team fairly. Bob ran the London Marathon in 2001, 2009, 2012 and 2015. He has raised funds for Heart Research, Cancer Research and Water Aid, but is far too keen on food and wine to run a fast race. Philanthropy continues as a core of VetDentist life. Over 10% of Income goes towards charities and worthy causes including VetLife, Medecin sans Frontiers, WaterAid, Action Aid, Opera North, Northern Ballet, Harrogate Theatre and Harrogate International Festival. Bob believes that the priority for improving the health and welfare of companion animals is by improving the education of the profession in veterinary dentistry. He is regarded as a highly motivational speaker at veterinary congresses and events in the UK, Ireland, Europe and has also lectured courses in Japan and Norway. In addition, he provides in-practice training and mentoring and provides residency training. Bob developed a training management system within the VetHospital practice and this led to the creation of Training-Progress - www.Training-Progress.com, which provides a highly sophisticated on-line system for structuring staff training. Bob lives with his long-suffering wife, Jackie, on a windswept farm in the Yorkshire Dales with two Springer Spaniels. They also play host to a flock of sheep and occasional Belted Galloway cattle. They are keen Scuba Divers and Skiers and vacations require water – either in solid or liquid form!