Brendan Clarke

Meet Brendan, our clinical director with his lovable Labrador Pippa and adorable Arti. Pippa arrived with Brendan as a puppy in October 2011 and loves nothing more than cuddles and a tummy rub in front of a warm fire. Arti was a puppy of one of our nurses, Stacey’s dog Lottie who you’ll meet below. She joined the team in 2015 and has been Brendan’s shadow ever since! Brendan, and his wife Kristina, also have a cat called Pud, who arrived with Kristina as a rescue kitten way back in 2000 and another rescue kitten Spider who completes the gang of 4 animals in 2014.

Brendan has been the head vet at Towerwood Vets since 2003, having joined the partnership as it was as far back as 1998. The practice was first set up by John Saxton, a renowned holistic veterinary surgeon, back in 1971. The practice has come a long way since then and Brendan’s proudest achievement has been to build the team at the practice, one of the leading centres for integrated veterinary care for the pets of North Leeds and beyond.

Brendan has clients who come a long way to the practice to be treated in an integrated and holistic way, however as a vet student Brendan reflects on being considered a sceptic himself until seeing first hand, time and time again how thinking a little bit differently about a case can change the course of care. One of his favourite sayings is ‘If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail’ and he prides himself on looking at each case with an open mind and respecting the human animal bond as one of the core principles of the way he works.

Out of a very busy work life, Brendan loves to travel but, in particular, he loves taking Pippa and Arti to the Lake District, a childhood home away from home! He also enjoys sport, in particular rugby, and enjoys growing his own fruit and veg!