About

Clam Gulch, Alaska. June 1974. An English Setter puppy named Oatmeal had gotten loose and discovered discarded salmon intestines at a dump on the grounds of an Alaskan fish cannery. She quickly became severely ill. Her young owner was told that a drug called tetracycline could help save her life, and he was able to obtain some, which he administered to his sick five-month-old pet.

This long-haired young man had earlier hitchhiked from Kingston, NY, to Anchorage, Alaska, with a backpack and puppy Oatmeal in tow. They later stowed away on a ferry boat to Portland, Oregon, and continued thumbing their way across America, their trip ending a year later. That young man continues to administer medication to pets. His hair, however, has mostly fallen out or turned grey, and Oatmeal is now a breakfast cereal.

Before becoming a veterinarian, Dr. Weiss graduated from Cornell University and was a labor organizer—another way of giving help to those whose voices could not be heard or understood.

Dr. Weiss established Airport Veterinary Center in early 1982 after several years of mostly dairy cow practice. He is a vegan. Among his greatest joys is helping his clients maintain the optimum health of their beloved family pets.

He has two children: Leah, who is a medical assistant in New York City, and Hannah, who is a nurse at Westchester Medical Center. He lives with a talkative African-American female—an African Grey Parrot who was born in New Jersey. He also has two Buff Orpington hens in his backyard, as well as several fiberglass goats to protect them. He enjoys riding his bicycle and sailing his old boat on the Hudson.