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Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, best known from the Animal Planet series "Emergency Vets," speaks at LaSells Stewart Center Thursday.

Animal Planet vet delivers comedic relief

Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald of Animal Planet's "Emergency Vets" surprises LaSells audience

By: Candice Ruud

Posted: 5/16/08

Those who came to see Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald from Animal Planet's popular reality show "Emergency Vets" last night got a more entertaining show than they bargained for.

The popular veterinarian, who was voted one of People Magazine's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors in 2001, performed a lecture-turned-stand-up comedy routine to an almost full house at the LaSells Stewart Center from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Most attendees were students, but there was also a large audience of older community members who came to see the Animal Planet doctor lecture on the subject he knows best.

The first few jokes appeared to be icebreakers to warm up the crowd for his lecture.

However, as time passed and Fitzgerald handed out joke after joke while rolling through punchlines, the audience realized the show was more comedic than the average animal science and veterinary technology lecture.

Austin Mosley, a freshman in mechanical engineering, was pleasantly surprised by the veterinarian by day, comedian by night.

"I thought it was really cool," Mosley said. "I've always watched his Animal Planet shows. It's always been interesting to me, so I thought I'd come."

Fitzgerald joked about his mother, who is known for interrupting his punch lines and discrediting him for his patients, the bizarre human clients that appear on the show, strange occurrences in the operating room and his most hated creatures, which include spiders and Chihuahuas.

"As a vet, we're supposed to love all breeds," Fitzgerald said, "but it's hard to like Chihuahuas. They're like the anti-Christ of dog breeds. They're pit bull light."

Fitzgerald was nostalgic about the "Crocodile Hunter," Steve Irwin, who passed away in 2006.

He remembered meeting Irwin when the two were piloting their respective shows for Animal Planet at nearly the same time over 10 years ago.

Fitzgerald noted that Irwin had been ready and willing to use his wife as a decoy to attract crocodiles.

Fitzgerald's humor, light and clean for the most part, engaged the audience.

"Oh, there are kids here," Fitzgerald said at one point when the house lights were turned up and he could view the audience. "That means this show's going to be about 20 minutes shorter."

At one point, in lieu of his new tap dancing skills, Fitzgerald removed his pants, showed off his black tights, donned tap shoes and tapped to "Here Comes Santa Claus."

On a more serious note, while telling a story about his arrest for operating on an ocelot -- an endangered animal illegal in the United States -- Fitzgerald encouraged the audience to speak out against the trend of importing exotic animals to be sold in pet stores across the U.S.

Fitzgerald closed with an anecdote about his vet school graduation, adding that he booked Mr. Rogers, from "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," to speak at the commencement.

He had been touched by what the elderly man had to say about how crucial these days are, when young men and women graduate and are on the brink of entering the real world.

He then encouraged the students in the audience to thank all those around them for helping them get where they are.

Candice Ruud, senior reporter

news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231