COCHISE ANIMAL HOSPITAL
1993 South Barnett Road
Bisbee, AZ.
(520) 432-3296
Caring For Animails Since 1961
By Dana Cole
Herald/Review
Published on Sunday, June 03, 2007
BISBEE — For more than 40 years, people in Cochise County have been turning to Charles Behney for their veterinary needs.
In 1961, fresh out of Colorado State University’s veterinary program, Behney headed for Bisbee to set up a practice.
Veterinarian Charles Behney (pictured above) stands in an operating room at Cochise Animal Hospital in Bisbee. The 77-year-old animal doctor has been practicing veterinary medicine in Cochise County since 1961
Approaching five decades in that original location, Behney still owns and runs Cochise Animal Hospital, a busy mixed practice that sees horses, cattle, dogs and cats.
And retirement is not in his immediate plan.
“I can’t see myself sitting around doing crossword puzzles all day,” joked the 77-year-old animal doctor. “I enjoy my work and the friends I’ve made. Rather than using my money for a nursing home, I prefer spending it on new equipment for the practice.”
Through the years, Behney has continued to expand and improve the animal hospital.
“We have digital radiology, laser technology, large and small animal ultrasound, laser hematology and state-of-the-art dentistry equipment,” Behney said. “I’ve seen a lot of changes in veterinary medicine since I started out. This field has become more sophisticated in recent years, and technology has a lot to do with it.”
Raised in Philadelphia, Behney first came out west to attend the University of Wyoming on a swimming scholarship. After four years of college, he graduated in 1952 with a degree in range management.
From there, he went to Billings, Mont., where he worked for the Bureau of Land Management, but was fired after a six-month probation. Sitting in his home in Bisbee, Behney laughs as he recalls those final days with the BLM.
“I was hired to make recommendations, and they didn’t like what I had to say,” he said. “I was stubborn and wouldn’t back down, so that was the end of my BLM work.”
Next, he was hired by a ranch in Big Timber, Mont., where he stayed for two years, earning $150 a month. When he learned about a manager position at another ranch, Behney applied for and was hired to work there. He was responsible for tending livestock, repairing fences and irrigating. With a wife and two sons to support, he managed to supplement his income during hunting season when businessmen from Billings visited the ranch searching for deer.
“They would pay me $50 a head to kill a deer for them,” he said. “Then they’d go back to Billings and brag about the trophy deer they really hadn’t shot. Anyway, that was my moonlighting job.”
Weary of the low-paying jobs related to range management, Behney decided in 1957 to go back to school to study veterinary medicine.
“I thought about it for a long time, and decided it would be perfect for me,” he said. “I had a lot of experience working around animals, especially livestock, and thought it was something I’d be good at.”
So, the Behney clan packed up and moved to Fort Collins, Colo., marking the start of a new life.
Of the 1,500 vet school applicants, Behney was one of 60 to get accepted into the program.
He paid his way through vet school by working two jobs, one in construction and the other as a garbage truck driver. Once again, he supplemented his income by moonlighting, this time as a pool shark.
Immediately after graduating from vet school, Behney headed to Cochise County on his father’s recommendation. A medical doctor from Philadelphia, Behney’s father fell in love with the area while passing through after spending time in Mexico.
During his early years in practice, Behney was one of the only veterinarians in the area, spending a great deal of time treating cattle on ranches in the United States and Mexico.
“I would go to Cananea and stop at ranches between there and the border, doing pregnancy tests on cattle,” Behney said. “I was literally working around the clock.”
The grueling hours and long periods away from home wreaked havoc on Behney’s home life, causing his marriage fall apart. Now married to a woman named Joan, Behney says he’s never been happier.
In the late ’60s and early ’70s, other large animal veterinarians moved into the area, greatly relieving Behney’s workload.
“I can remember doing Cesarean sections on cattle in the snow, rain and all hours of the night. It was good to have more large animal vets in the area.”
Full of fascinating stories, Behney talked about working for members of the Mexican mafia, treating their race horses. They would meet him in the United States and take him into Mexico, to huge, sprawling horse ranches with white fences, rolling pastures and impressive barns. Behney describes the ranches as “rivaling anything you would see in Kentucky.”
“I had an interpreter and they always had bodyguards,” Behney recalled. “They always paid in cold, hard cash. When the new $100 bills came out, the first one I ever saw came from Mexico.”
Behney speaks highly of one of his mafia clients, a guy he calls Leo, who was gunned down in an Agua Prieta restaurant with three other people a few years ago.
“I would fly with him on his private jet all over Mexico to different horse farms and race tracks. It was interesting going through customs,” Behney said. “His bodyguards carried my bags and no one ever touched them.”
When he first opened his practice, Bisbee was Cochise County’s largest town, with 14,000 people,
“It’s because the mines were still going strong,” Behney said. “Sierra Vista had a population of 1,200 back then.”
For the past three years, Behney has had an associate, Mark Ruhfel, a small animal veterinarian who sees most of the dogs and cats that go through Cochise Animal Hospital.
Bringing Ruhfel on board has allowed Behney to spend more time treating horses and cattle, something his large animal clients appreciate.
“I moved to Arizona in 1964,” said Rachel Thomas, one of Behney’s longtime clients. “When I first moved to the area, I called Doc Behney to vaccinate our horses. I liked him right away, and he’s been my vet since. We call him the miracle doc. Nobody can beat him as a vet.”
Palominas resident Kim Collins has been a client of Behney’s since 1992.
“Not only is he an excellent vet, but I think he’s hilarious,” she said. “Every time I see him, he has a new joke for me.”
Collins, who has horses, dogs and cats, takes all of her animals to Behney.
“I like him very, very much. He’s very practical, and so intelligent. He’s had such a fascinating life. And he’s so good with my 82-year-old father. Whenever we go in for an appointment, he’s just so sweet to my dad, and I really appreciate that.”
~~DOC RUHFEL~~
BHB FEELS VERY BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH TERRIFIC, CARING, DEDICATED DOCTORS LIKE DOC BEHNEY & DOCTOR RUHFEL :} ON BOARD....
BHB WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE ENTIRE STAFF @ COCHISE ANIMAL HOSPITAL FOR BEING SO WONDERFULLY WARM & WELCOMING,CARING,LOVING & PROFESSIONAL. OUR VISITS ARE ALWAYS A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE TIME AND TIME AGAIN:}
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
BHB & All It's Pack Members
By Dana Cole
Herald/Review
Published on Sunday, June 03, 2007
BISBEE — For more than 40 years, people in Cochise County have been turning to Charles Behney for their veterinary needs.
In 1961, fresh out of Colorado State University’s veterinary program, Behney headed for Bisbee to set up a practice.
Veterinarian Charles Behney (pictured above) stands in an operating room at Cochise Animal Hospital in Bisbee. The 77-year-old animal doctor has been practicing veterinary medicine in Cochise County since 1961
Approaching five decades in that original location, Behney still owns and runs Cochise Animal Hospital, a busy mixed practice that sees horses, cattle, dogs and cats.
And retirement is not in his immediate plan.
“I can’t see myself sitting around doing crossword puzzles all day,” joked the 77-year-old animal doctor. “I enjoy my work and the friends I’ve made. Rather than using my money for a nursing home, I prefer spending it on new equipment for the practice.”
Through the years, Behney has continued to expand and improve the animal hospital.
“We have digital radiology, laser technology, large and small animal ultrasound, laser hematology and state-of-the-art dentistry equipment,” Behney said. “I’ve seen a lot of changes in veterinary medicine since I started out. This field has become more sophisticated in recent years, and technology has a lot to do with it.”
Raised in Philadelphia, Behney first came out west to attend the University of Wyoming on a swimming scholarship. After four years of college, he graduated in 1952 with a degree in range management.
From there, he went to Billings, Mont., where he worked for the Bureau of Land Management, but was fired after a six-month probation. Sitting in his home in Bisbee, Behney laughs as he recalls those final days with the BLM.
“I was hired to make recommendations, and they didn’t like what I had to say,” he said. “I was stubborn and wouldn’t back down, so that was the end of my BLM work.”
Next, he was hired by a ranch in Big Timber, Mont., where he stayed for two years, earning $150 a month. When he learned about a manager position at another ranch, Behney applied for and was hired to work there. He was responsible for tending livestock, repairing fences and irrigating. With a wife and two sons to support, he managed to supplement his income during hunting season when businessmen from Billings visited the ranch searching for deer.
“They would pay me $50 a head to kill a deer for them,” he said. “Then they’d go back to Billings and brag about the trophy deer they really hadn’t shot. Anyway, that was my moonlighting job.”
Weary of the low-paying jobs related to range management, Behney decided in 1957 to go back to school to study veterinary medicine.
“I thought about it for a long time, and decided it would be perfect for me,” he said. “I had a lot of experience working around animals, especially livestock, and thought it was something I’d be good at.”
So, the Behney clan packed up and moved to Fort Collins, Colo., marking the start of a new life.
Of the 1,500 vet school applicants, Behney was one of 60 to get accepted into the program.
He paid his way through vet school by working two jobs, one in construction and the other as a garbage truck driver. Once again, he supplemented his income by moonlighting, this time as a pool shark.
Immediately after graduating from vet school, Behney headed to Cochise County on his father’s recommendation. A medical doctor from Philadelphia, Behney’s father fell in love with the area while passing through after spending time in Mexico.
During his early years in practice, Behney was one of the only veterinarians in the area, spending a great deal of time treating cattle on ranches in the United States and Mexico.
“I would go to Cananea and stop at ranches between there and the border, doing pregnancy tests on cattle,” Behney said. “I was literally working around the clock.”
The grueling hours and long periods away from home wreaked havoc on Behney’s home life, causing his marriage fall apart. Now married to a woman named Joan, Behney says he’s never been happier.
In the late ’60s and early ’70s, other large animal veterinarians moved into the area, greatly relieving Behney’s workload.
“I can remember doing Cesarean sections on cattle in the snow, rain and all hours of the night. It was good to have more large animal vets in the area.”
Full of fascinating stories, Behney talked about working for members of the Mexican mafia, treating their race horses. They would meet him in the United States and take him into Mexico, to huge, sprawling horse ranches with white fences, rolling pastures and impressive barns. Behney describes the ranches as “rivaling anything you would see in Kentucky.”
“I had an interpreter and they always had bodyguards,” Behney recalled. “They always paid in cold, hard cash. When the new $100 bills came out, the first one I ever saw came from Mexico.”
Behney speaks highly of one of his mafia clients, a guy he calls Leo, who was gunned down in an Agua Prieta restaurant with three other people a few years ago.
“I would fly with him on his private jet all over Mexico to different horse farms and race tracks. It was interesting going through customs,” Behney said. “His bodyguards carried my bags and no one ever touched them.”
When he first opened his practice, Bisbee was Cochise County’s largest town, with 14,000 people,
“It’s because the mines were still going strong,” Behney said. “Sierra Vista had a population of 1,200 back then.”
For the past three years, Behney has had an associate, Mark Ruhfel, a small animal veterinarian who sees most of the dogs and cats that go through Cochise Animal Hospital.
Bringing Ruhfel on board has allowed Behney to spend more time treating horses and cattle, something his large animal clients appreciate.
“I moved to Arizona in 1964,” said Rachel Thomas, one of Behney’s longtime clients. “When I first moved to the area, I called Doc Behney to vaccinate our horses. I liked him right away, and he’s been my vet since. We call him the miracle doc. Nobody can beat him as a vet.”
Palominas resident Kim Collins has been a client of Behney’s since 1992.
“Not only is he an excellent vet, but I think he’s hilarious,” she said. “Every time I see him, he has a new joke for me.”
Collins, who has horses, dogs and cats, takes all of her animals to Behney.
“I like him very, very much. He’s very practical, and so intelligent. He’s had such a fascinating life. And he’s so good with my 82-year-old father. Whenever we go in for an appointment, he’s just so sweet to my dad, and I really appreciate that.”
~~DOC RUHFEL~~
BHB FEELS VERY BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH TERRIFIC, CARING, DEDICATED DOCTORS LIKE DOC BEHNEY & DOCTOR RUHFEL :} ON BOARD....
BHB WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE ENTIRE STAFF @ COCHISE ANIMAL HOSPITAL FOR BEING SO WONDERFULLY WARM & WELCOMING,CARING,LOVING & PROFESSIONAL. OUR VISITS ARE ALWAYS A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE TIME AND TIME AGAIN:}
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
BHB & All It's Pack Members