Dr. Robert McLeod of Creston, British Columbia, should be proud of his new 44' x 30' hangar. It features a beautifully designed exterior, highlighted by Douglas Fir log posts and beams, and features a trio of 3' x 6' Douglas Fir-trimmed windows, which not only bring natural light into the hangar, but provide a view out. Best of all, the hangar has a premium hangar door. The 42'-6" x 12'-6" bifold liftstrap door was manufactured by industry leader Schweiss Doors. It’s equipped with an automatic latching system and remote opener.

McLeod's hangar is next to his home and uses a grass strip for takeoffs and landings. The steel-sided hangar's appearance resembles his residence and other buildings on his property.

With a shortage of veterinarians and a large, sparsely populated territory to cover, McLeod uses his Maule M-5-210C plane to bring veterinary care to remote clients. He and his plane also serve as an ambulance for veterinary-related flights to specialists in Calgary or Vancouver. He’s been a practicing veterinarian for about 30 years, starting out after graduation in Saskatchewan and later moving to Creston in 1993.

“I started flying at age 16 when I received a flying scholarship as an air cadet,” McLeod says. “I got my pilot’s license just after my 17th birthday. I actually still have a hangar that I share with another person at our local Creston airport. I use my home hangar from spring to fall, about eight months out of the year. The main Creston Regional Airport is open all year.”

Creston Veterinary Hospital, where McLeod practices, was established in 1973 by Dr. Dave Perrin, the author of the “Don’t Turn Your Back in the Barn, Adventures of a Country Vet” book series. It’s a full-service veterinary clinic located in the heart of the Kootenay Valley, nestled between the Selkirk and Purcell Mountain ranges region of beautiful southeastern British Columbia, approximately six miles north of the Idaho border.

Creston Veterinary Hospital has grown from eight employees in 1992 to where they now have two full-time and two part-time veterinarians and a skilled staff of about 20 technicians, assistants and client care representatives to ensure that all pets’ needs are met.

McLeod was born in Victoria, British Columbia and grew up in Victoria, Ottawa and Whitehorse, Yukon. After completing high school at Spectrum Community School in Victoria, he attended University of Victoria and University of British Columbia, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology. He became inspired to be a veterinarian while working on a dairy farm in Tsawwassen, British Columbia, and graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 1990.

McLeod says he thinks he initially found out about Schweiss Doors from an ad in the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) magazine, but notes there is a 70'-wide Schweiss hangar door at the Creston airport.

“Schweiss seems to be the door to have,” he says. “I love the automatic latching system the best – you just hit the remote button and open the door. It works beautifully. With help from a couple of friends and a little clarification on a couple things, we installed the hangar door ourselves. We started looking at a couple of other door manufacturers, but the Schweiss bifold door was beautiful because of where it hinges; it tucks in nicely. Some of the other doors don’t do that.”