Meet the Doctors: A Q&A with Dr. Colleen Beestman

At Rainier Veterinary Hospital, it’s part of our mission to spend as much time as possible with every patient and truly get to know every client. We’re treating a member of the family, after all. In turn, we think it’s pretty important for our clients to know more about us. To enable just that, we’re continuing our “Meet the Doctors” series, where we find out more about our four veterinarians—their passions, pets, and personalities.

Today, we’re chatting with Dr. Colleen Beestman, who has been practicing veterinary medicine for eight years, almost a year of which has been here at Rainier Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Beestman is a major dog lover—has three of her own—but admits that it’s actually a cat who runs her household. Let’s learn more!

Who and what are your current pets?

I have three dogs, all mixed breeds: Luna, 15, Bruce, 9, and Betty, 6. But Bella is my cat, and she is definitely the boss. She’s 11 or 12, and she’s a very self-assured cat, even around the three dogs.

Are you at your limit of pets, or are you open to getting more?

Well, Luna is a little grouchy. I absolutely adore her, and I’ll admit that she’s my favorite, but she just doesn’t like other dogs. So I think she would have to go before I could get another dog. Plus, three is a lot.

Growing up in Wisconsin, what kind of pets did you have?

We lived out in the country, so we always had indoor/outdoor cats who took care of any mice. My first pet, though, was a cat named Hilary. I barely remember her, but I’ve heard lots of stories about me carrying her around. When I was around 7 or 8 years old, our cat Marblecake had four kittens, and I was very much into that litter of kittens.

It seems like you’re pretty balanced in terms of being a cat and dog person.

When I was a kid, I adored cats. But they’re a little more difficult to work with, so I’ve switched over to dogs.

Are you partial to any breed?

I like mutts! In fact, all of my dogs are rescues, and they’re all kind of disaster cases. My partner says, “You’re willing to get a dog and put up with all of its flaws rather than getting a puppy, starting out right, and having a really good dog.” But I just love dogs, what can I say?

Is that what led you into being a veterinarian?

I wanted to work with wildlife, and I actually got my undergrad degree in zoology. And I thought I wanted to work at a zoo. But it’s a very competitive field, and it’s very politicized. It’s a really cool job, but I didn’t want the other part of it, the constant fighting for resources. And I have always loved pets, so becoming a veterinarian was the logical next step for me.

Now that you’ve been practicing for eight years, what do you think separates you from “the pack” of other veterinarians?

I am looking to bridge the gap between traditional and alternative veterinary medicine, like acupuncture. I’m not quite there yet, but I like looking at the big picture of health as a combination of behavioral issues and general happiness.