Richardson Joins Palisades Veterinary Center on Via

Veterinarian Billy Richardson has joined Dr. Kathy Litochleb at the Pacific Palisades Veterinary Center on Via de la Paz, giving her greater flexibility as owner of the business she has had since 1993.   ’This is a one-doctor practice and she was looking for more stability,’ says Richardson, who arrived here from North Carolina in May. Now when Litochleb goes on vacation or wants a day off, Richardson can cover for her.   Growing up in horse country in Elizabethtown, Kentucky (near Louisville), Richardson knew he wanted to be a veterinarian. His father was a trainer on a 10-acre farm, where he worked with five to six thoroughbreds.   ’Horses were my life,’ Richardson says. ‘I saw the respect that my dad had for the vet.’   Richardson attended the University of Kentucky, which offers a veterinary school program through an agreement with Auburn University.   During college and summers he worked for James Moorehead, resident veterinarian at Three Chimney Farms, a premier horse farm that was home to the legendary Seattle Slew.   Richardson’s father died when he was 20, the year before he started his veterinary classes. ‘I had my path paved, then my dad passed away,’ he says. ‘It turned my life upside down.’   He started to reassess what was important to him and realized that he wanted a family life, which made him question his original choice of working only with horses.   Equine vets in Kentucky are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ‘I didn’t want to overlook a family, which was important to me,’ Richardson says. ‘I saw that horse vets weren’t making it to their kids’ soccer games or dance recitals.’   He decided to pursue a career as a small animal vet, which he says is not 9 to 5, but still offers a better balance.   After completing his veterinary degree in 2005, Richardson moved to Tallahassee to work at a clinic, which is where he met his wife Nikki, who was a receptionist there while attending Florida State University. After she graduated with a degree in communication and broadcast journalism in April 2008, the couple married and relocated to Charlotte.   Last fall, they decided that North Carolina was not the right location for them and began focusing on California. Richardson had already discovered Pacific Palisades through a former college friend, Josh Lee, who moved here six years ago with a T-shirt design clothing business.   ’I had visited Josh every three to six months,’ he says. ‘I fell in love with the weather and the outdoor life.’   In February, Richardson visited 10 vet clinics from Marina del Rey to Malibu and Granada Hills, but settled on Palisades Veterinary in a town he describes as ‘a hidden gem.’   ’The ideal for me is to be a vet in a small town, where you can be part of the community. Pacific Palisades is the closest I can get to a small town and still be close to a large city.’   Richardson was sitting on a bench outside the clinic, speaking to the Palisadian-Post, when one of his ‘patients,’ Rocky, a Wheaton terrier, rushed over to greet him.   ’He’s a great doctor and an amazing guy,’ said the dog’s owner, Rigo Manzanares. ‘Rocky loves him to death.’   ’It’s such a neat thing to see patients on the sidewalk,’ Richardson says. ‘I didn’t have that in Charlotte.’   In addition to working with medical conditions and performing ultrasounds and surgery, Richardson is also interested in behavior modification. ‘Far too often we have ‘cute’ puppies and we throw out all rules and boundaries,’ he says. ‘We have to get them to respect us, and we have to be in control.’   He points out that our pets are not kids, but animals. For example, when a puppy jumps up, instead of rewarding this behavior, which we do if we pet it or give it attention, we should make the animal sit, then reward that behavior instead.   When asked about cats and behavior modification, Richardson agrees that ‘cats are tough,’ and if there’s a new behavioral issue, then it’s important to first rule out any medical or metabolic issues that might be causing it.   He admits that he became interested in animal behavior because of his 12-year-old Jack Russell terrier, Jack, who challenges him constantly. The breed is intelligent, athletic and bores easily, which means they will create their own ‘fun’ when left alone. Richardson’s wife is currently working at Denise Carolyn, a woman’s shop on Antioch, and the couple enjoy walking to their jobs.   ’We love it,’ says Nikki, who had just finished a class at the YMCA and happened to pass her husband while he was being interviewed. ‘It’s a great town and people are so nice and friendly.’   ’This is a treasure,’ says Richardson, who is at the clinic 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day but Thursday and Sunday and every other Saturday.   Call: (310) 573-7707.