PULLMAN, WA – Tori Wallingford’s mother, a practicing veterinarian of 33 years, isn’t just her rock in life – she’s quite possibly one of the best mentors an aspiring small animal general practitioner and daughter could ask for.
“She’ll tell me when I need to do something different and if I’m in the moment and I do something wrong she won’t judge me for it. She knows me so well, and she pushes me to do new things I’m not familiar with that I might not try otherwise,” Tori said of her mother, Dr. Debi Wallingford.
Since she turned 14, Tori (’23 Neurosci.) has worked at her mom’s practice, Cat & Dog Clinic of Bellevue, where she shadowed her mom for 10 years and plans to work after she earns her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Whether it is client communication; assisting with blood draws, dental extractions, spays and neuters; or taking patient histories; Tori is gaining invaluable experience training under her mom in the same animal clinic that evokes fond childhood memories.
In fact, a blood stain from a surgical amputation left on 6-year-old Tori’s skirt was one of the first indicators to Debi that her daughter could follow in her footsteps.
“She goes, ‘Mom, you just got blood on my skirt.’ It didn’t faze her in any other way. She was more worried about her skirt than the fact it was kind of gross,” Debi said. “So, I knew right away she’s got the stomach for it.”
Mom’s intuition is proving right as Tori is now entering her third year of WSU’s veterinary program. In addition to pursuing her veterinary degree, Tori has also made the time to pay it forward to shelter animals.
For the past four summers, she has fostered kittens from her local humane society, Seattle Humane.
“Nothing compares to the feeling that you get when you know that you’re doing something for someone else and not expecting anything back,” Tori said.
It’s a passion she shares with her mom, who for the past 25 years has volunteered at Greyhound Pets Inc., a nonprofit greyhound rescue based out of Woodinville, Washington, dedicated to the welfare of greyhounds and greyhound mixes.
“Whether it’s fostering or spaying or neutering, we do a lot of outreach with the community and volunteer a lot of our time because we love it and we love to help animals in need,” Debi said.
The mother-daughter duo loves to help each other too.
“If I have a big exam, she will talk me through that,” Tori said. “It’s nice having someone who went through veterinary school who actually gets it.”
And when her mom is having a tough day, she’s there for her too.
Despite her years of experience, Debi said she still learns so much from Tori.
“She knows all the new stuff. I have a profound respect for the education that she’s going to carry into our practice, and she demonstrates it every day,” Debi said. “She makes me a better veterinarian.”
