My love for gun dogs began at a young age on a deer hunt with my father in Southern Virginia. We were dog hunting with a gentleman named Kenny Jones who had, in my humble opinion, the most well trained pack of Walker hounds I have ever seen. He could call those dogs by name, in and out of the back of his Ford pickup, and they would sit quietly awaiting his next command. I vividly remember sitting at the base of an oak tree, barely able to breathe with my heart in my throat as those dogs bayed in the distance and the sound veered in my direction. The big doe being chased loped right past me at about twenty yards, and there I sat frozen, unable to raise my single shot twenty-gauge to fire a shot. Moments later here came four or five of those Walker hounds. I was still quivering from all the excitement when one of them trotted close, sniffed, and licked my face as if to say, “Hang in there. We’ll get them next time.” Needless to say, I was hooked. I grew up, went to college, and attended veterinary school in Alabama. Hunting and fishing (along with Auburn football) was, and still is, a huge part of the fabric of my life. Some of the best moments I have spent in God’s great outdoors have involved a well trained dog. From hunting wood ducks over an icy beaver pond with my black Labrador retriever Dixie, to following a liver and white English pointer across a sage pasture during a field trial, nothing quite compares to watching a bird dog use its God given talent to eagerly and masterfully perform its work.
After veterinary school I completed a one year rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Mississippi State University. I then matched for a small animal surgical residency and spent three years training in Philadelphia at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Veterinary Medicine. I enjoyed my time in Philly but after three years, and in particular three winters, this Alabama boy was ready to get back below the Mason Dixon line. I ended up taking my first job as a staff surgeon in San Antonio at South Texas Veterinary Specialists. I learned a great deal and loved my time there, but God had a different plan for my life. After four wonderful years in San Antonio I moved to Houston and co-founded North Houston Veterinary Specialists where I am currently practicing with five other veterinary specialists.
most importantly witness to the powerful, lifesaving love and grace of my personal savior Jesus Christ. I look forward to serving you!
If you have a question you would like to see Dr. Payne address in a future edition, please submit via email to info@christiansportsman.com
I am blessed that my professional and personal lives overlap a great deal. As a veterinary surgeon I get the pleasure of serving people and their pets every day. I also have great relationships with wonderful and dedicated general practitioners all over the Greater Houston metropolitan area, and I am able to examine and help gun dogs of all breeds and disciplines. Jesus has truly blessed me with a career that I love. It is my hope that through this column I can educate readers on common medical conditions that can affect your four legged hunting buddies, answer specific questions about your personal dogs, share some of my stories and experiences in the outdoors, and
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