Handling all things with care

Luis Pena

Joel Pasco is a 56-year-old Costa Mesa resident and owner of All

Creatures Care Cottage Veterinary Hospital.

Where did you grow up?

Chagrin Falls, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. ... I grew up there

until I was a junior in high school. I lived in a semi-suburban,

semi-rural area. There was a large forest near my home. Maybe that’s

where I starting getting my appreciation for wild animals.

What kind of childhood did you have?

I was fortunate enough to have parents that not only never

divorced but always loved each other and loved us. An interesting

thing was my brother and sister were allergic to dogs, so we never

had pets of our own. And I loved animals all of my life, so to deal

with that frustration, I made every other pet in the neighborhood my

friend. So I’d go play with the neighbors’ pets and take them for

walks. That helped satisfy the need and fascination I had for

animals. I knew since second grade that I loved science, biology and

animals, and I knew when I was in seventh grade that I wanted to be a

veterinarian.

How did you end up in Newport-Mesa?

When I was in high school, I enjoyed watching these Frankie Avalon

and Annette Funicello “Beach Blanket Bingo” movies, and that was my

impression of California. And by that, I was impressed by the outdoor

living -- the ocean and the sunshine appealed to me. Between my

junior and senior year in veterinary school, I drove west with a

fraternity brother for the first time from Illinois. My goal was to

drive to California to see what the Golden State was like. This was

back in 1971. I particularly fell in love with the San Francisco Bay

area and Sausalito, the artist colony. I fell in love with coastal

Orange County, and of the two, the reason I chose here instead of

there was because the climate was warmer year-round and I could enjoy

the ocean. It’s hard to enjoy the freezing temperatures of the San

Francisco Bay area. I wanted to be in an area with a lot of pets.

What are your greatest accomplishments in life?

My daughter and my son, Jessica and Andrew, would be my greatest

accomplishments. Having them grow up to be healthy, happy children

and share my love of animals is my greatest accomplishment. Until you

have children, I don’t believe you’re a full person. It’s a

life-altering experience. It takes the focus away from myself and it

swings to your children. Going down the list, I would then say

marrying my wife. Then my other greatest accomplishment, I’ll

remember that day was when I got the notification from the University

of Illinois that I had been accepted to veterinary college. They only

accepted one out of 10 applicants.

If you could redo one moment or incident in your life, what would

it be?

Back in the winter of 1982, I used to surf with this wild pelican.

I was a veterinarian at the Sun-Surf Animal Hospital at Sunset Beach,

and Rusty was brought in by a Seal Beach lifeguard. It had a

concussion. So they brought him to me. He was weak, and he couldn’t

eat. To get him to get his strength back and to get him to start

priming himself, I would climb on my surfboard and he had a habit of

riding on my shoulders like a big parrot. And a wave would come

along, and I would say, “Oh what the heck, let’s see what happens.” I

would stand up and ride the wave, and he stood up on my shoulders

like a tandem surfer, and we’d ride in together. But I learned an

important lesson that I didn’t know then. You do not want to make

friends with wild animals that you want to release. He didn’t want to

go when it came time to set him free. He was getting salmon, tuna

fish, swordfish donated by local seafood restaurants. We released him

on three different occasions before he decided to leave. It was kind

of a bittersweet moment. You are kind of sad that you’re saying

goodbye to a friend, and at the same moment, you’re happy and elated

that you’re releasing a wild animal back to where they belong. That

would have been 20 years ago.

What profession other than yours would you like to have tried?

When I’m not with my family, I am pursing my love of art. I guess

you could call me amateur artist, and that would include bonsai, the

art of miniature trees; sculpture; photography; painting; and

drawing. I have taken a lot of photography and art courses. My

brother and sister are both professional artists. I guess that’s my

secret fantasy.

What are some differences between a typical day in your life now

versus a day in your life 20 years ago?

I think I’ve matured a lot in having a deep understanding of

people and animals and how they relate to each other. Not just a deep

understanding but respect. So in my 31 years of being an animal

doctor, I have grown to have a tremendous amount of faith and

confidence in the natural world and the animal world. I’ve become

more akin to the natural world.

What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned in your life?

Real simple: the golden rule. If you treat other people and living

things in the world, whether it’s your cat or wild bird, a tree, a

flower -- you treat it the way you want to be treated. That’s the

most important lesson I would want my children to learn also.

What do you treasure most?

Every moment I continue to live. I’m 56 and fortunately in good

health, and I have so much fascination for all the things in life I

still haven’t done yet and places that I haven’t seen. I want to do

it all if I can. So every extra day is a gift. And I guess I should

say my human and animal family, because time is more meaningful when

you have someone to share it with.

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