Students visit with 'Critter Fixer'

Jay County students met a critter fixer Friday.

Students from Jay Schools participated in a video chat with Terrance Ferguson, one of the main cast members in The Discovery Channel’s series “Critter Fixers.”

Mike Biggs, Jay County Annex Alternative School career coach, led the conversation from the alternative school classroom at John Jay Center For Learning. Five classes of Jay County students ranging from elementary to high school joined in the online conversation with the rural Georgia native who treats animals of all shapes and sizes.

“You name it, we’ve pretty much seen it,” Ferguson said. “When we say critter fixers, it’s pretty much all critters we take care of.”

Ferguson explained to students he wanted to be a “dog doctor” as a child after treating a sick canine he adopted, but that mindset later changed. It was difficult at first to see himself as a veterinarian because he said it was not a diverse field.

He decided to pursue his dream and attended College of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University. In 1999, Ferguson opened Critter Fixers Veterinary Hospital in Bonaire, Georgia, about 100 miles south of Atlanta. Since opening, the facility has grown from its initial 1,000-square-foot space to a more than 7,000-square-foot state-of-the-art veterinary hospital, according to its website.

Students asked Ferguson questions such as how many surgeries he does in a week (he estimated 50) and how many clients he sees in a year (he guessed around 20,000). He said about 70% of their patients are exotic animals. Along with the dogs and cats, Ferguson and his partner, Vernard Hodges, have treated everything from alpacas and horses to raccoons and alligators.

“Critter Fixers” first aired in 2020. Next week, the show begins filming its third season.

Ferguson and Biggs both grew up in Talbotton, Georgia. Biggs said he’s known Ferguson’s family nearly all his life. When Biggs discovered Ferguson’s TV show, he made the call to set up a chat.

So far this year, Biggs has hosted student chats with a variety of professionals, ranging from the medical field, cosmetology, marketing and business. He said his goal with chats like these is for students to see where determination can take them.

“It does not matter where you come from, your dreams can be a reality,” Biggs said.

He also hopes whatever they go into, they give it their all.

“This is what drives me, this passion,” Ferguson said.

“I’ve dedicated my whole life since working in the military to working with at-risk kids, kids with disabilities … to try and find their 100%.”

Instructor Josh Gibson said in the first five weeks of school, five students have graduated from the alternative school setting meant for credit recovery and career preparation. One student has completed more in his first five weeks than in three years of traditional school.

“We talk to critter fixers, but we are the credit fixers,” joked Gibson.