'You Can Do Both': Singing Veterinarian Combines Two Passions
By Joel Hillan
LITTLETON, Colo. (CBS4) - For as long as he can remember Dr. Ross Henderson wanted to be a veterinarian.
"There's actually a video of me going into kindergarten, and my mom's asking me what I want to be when I grow up and I was like, 'I want to be a veterinarian,' and I'm holding my backpack and being all bashful and stuff."
A vet -- just like his dad -- who has been taking care of pets in the Denver area for more than four decades.
But Henderson has another big passion.
"When I'm not a veterinarian, I'm home and creating and building like a puzzle."
Creating and building music... Henderson is currently the band leader for up-and-coming country singer Taylor Rae.
"I'm like a very confused 29-year-old sometimes because I've got these two massive passions and who knows, maybe I've found a way to bridge them," he said.
A video of Henderson singing to a dog before surgery recently went viral. Messages poured in from across the world to the singing veterinarian.
"I thought I was the biggest weirdo, that I'm this vet that plays the guitar at work and then people started to come out of the woodwork, they're like, 'What? You do that? I like guitar and music and play to my animals.'"
The animals seem to enjoy it, as does Henderson and his thousands of Instagram followers.
"If I could tell somebody who's thinking that they want to play music, but are stuck in a 9 to 5, there's no rules and you can do both. It just might mean it will stretch you a little bit differently, but go on some uncharted territory," he said.
Uncharted, with unchained melodies.
LINK: Dr. Ross Henderson's Website
Joel Hillan anchors CBS4 This Morning on weekends as well as reports stories for CBS4 News at 5 and 6 p.m. Follow Joel on Twitter @joelhillan.