gmhTODAY 24 gmhTODAY Feb March 2019 | Page 48

Dr. Greg Martinez The Care of Animals Is Just in His DNA Written By Kimberly Ewertz B orn with a love for animals, Dr. Greg Martinez’s love transitioned into a veterinary career spanning over 37 years. Throughout those years he’s served countless number of animals, and their owners, all of whom are sincerely grateful for his dedication and his service. “Anyone who knows Dr. Martinez knows that this is in his blood, this is in his DNA,” long-time client Addie Bryant-Habit said. “I think this is who he [was] always meant to be.” In 1981, after graduating from UC Davis with his degree as a Doctor of 48 Veterinary Medicine, Martinez and his wife of 41 years, Lonna, moved to Gilroy. Prior to the move the couple lived in Hollister where Martinez worked for six months for a local animal hospital. Lonna had also secured employment, as a bilingual teacher for the Hollister School District, where she would continue to work for the next 37 years. From the very start Lonna had no doubt that her husband would succeed at his chosen profession. “When he was like fourteen or something he was already working part-time at the pet store,” Lonna said. GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN february/march 2019 “He had great ambition to become a veterinarian. He’s very compassionate, and he’s also a lot of fun.” With business slacking off in Hollister, Martinez jumped at the opportunity to apply for a position at the Gilroy Veterinary Hospital after he found out from a friend they were hiring. The acceptance of his new job resulted in a move to Gilroy for the Martinez’s, which enabled the good doctor to be readily available for on-call emergencies. The new job, and the new community, turned out to a perfect fit. “I got involved in a lot of community gmhtoday.com