Dr Rick Fenny is a Western Australian vet who spent 50 years in remote Australia’s Kimberley and Pilbara. After failing second-year vet school in 1966, he rebuilt his life treating cattle, circus animals, and countless others across the outback. A chance encounter with Red Dog, a legendary red kelpie, became the catalyst for writing a four-book memoir series that preserves a disappearing way of life.
Dr Rick Fenny recounts how a reluctant choice to study veterinary science in 1966 led to a life of adventure across Australia’s most remote regions. After failing second-year vet school in Brisbane, he was driven to complete his degree and repay a government cadetship. As a young government vet in the Kimberley and Pilbara, he improvised surgeries in hospital mortuaries and treated everything from cattle to circus animals. His encounter with Red Dog, a free-spirited kelpie who belonged to everyone and no one, became the catalyst for writing a four-book memoir series that preserves the story of outback life and his own journey. Now in his seventies, Rick continues building businesses, promoting his books, and preparing the definitive Red Dog account for publication.
Dr Rick Fenny is a Western Australian veterinarian, author, and businessman who has spent over 50 years in remote Australia. He is best known for his deep connection to Red Dog, a legendary red kelpie of the Pilbara, and has written a four-book memoir series linking his life stages to the red dogs who shaped him. He runs multiple vet clinics, pastoral stations, and an aquarium across Western Australia.
In this Animals & Us conversation with Natalie Stockdale, Dr shares the…
🕒 CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction: Margie and the Red Dog Legacy
00:01:26 Albany Childhood: Fishing, Freedom, and First Red Dog
00:05:10 The Accidental Vet: How a Chance Interview Changed Everything
00:08:27 Vet School in Queensland: Failure, Maturity, and Horse Manure
00:12:29 Derby to Port Hedland: Early Career Loss and Improvisation
00:23:36 The Chimpanzee: A Daughter Saved, A Monkey Treated
00:28:01 Red Dog Enters the Picture: The Wanderer Arrives
00:36:34 The Weight of Euthanasia: Responsibility, Guilt, Legacy
00:40:51 The Four-Book Structure: Life Eras and Red Dogs Aligned
00:51:15 Creative Tension: Building Multiple Businesses and Staying Alive
01:00:07 Brain-to-Brain: Telepathy, Animals, and Intuitive Communication
01:14:06 The Desert Vet: Television, Public Life, and Ongoing Work
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Welcome. We’re glad you found your way here.
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