A True Texas Treasure
Carlee Buford
BY FREYA PRUITT
The first time I met Carlee, I sensed a gentle spirit, a kind loving heart, and a quiet
strength. She is a beautiful woman, both
inside and out. You have to be born to be
a veterinarian. Needless to say, not many
of us have what it takes to be in charge of
man’s best friend! Many of us consider
our pets a part of the family. When one
is ill we want the best treatment and care
for them. When
they are babies we
want to make sure
they are protected.
When they are old,
we dread the inevitable, and realize
we, as pet owners,
need a person we
can trust and rely
on. We may even
need a shoulder
to cry on. And we
want the shoulders
of Dr. Carlee
Buford, DVM.
Dr. Carlee Buford was born in Shreveport,
Louisiana and moved to Texas in 1957.
She graduated from Texas A&M Veterinary School in 1987. She is celebrating
her twentieth year in veterinary practice
in Ingram, Texas. She has been married
to her husband, Terry, for 25 years and
has two daughters; Amy and Brandy. She
exudes an inner light which most assuredly
comes from her love of the Lord. Her husband and girls are a reflection of Carlee’s
loving spirit. No matter how busy her day
has been, she always has time for a person
in need. She never operates on an animal
without praying for it first. The Lord is the
beginning of each day and the end. Her
faith and dedication to the welfare of animals is the foundation of security and trust
for their owners.
One afternoon Carlee
told me the story of
her and her beloved
horse, Bouncer. They
truly were best buddies.
Bouncer knew instantly
whether Carlee was happy or sad. She picked
up every subtle nuance,
sometimes even before
Carlee knew! She had
that horse for thirtyfour years. Bouncer was
getting very old and was
very tired. Carlee knew
it was “her time to go”,
but Bouncer just kept hanging on, probably
for Carlee. It hurt Carlee to see her beloved
horse suffer, so one day she went outside
and hugged Bouncer around the neck and
said: “It really is okay to go… I’ll be just
fine.” She lay down with the horse and put
her arm around her. She kept talking to
her and stroking her back. Not too much
later, as the sun began to set, Bouncer took
her last breath with Carlee by her side. As
she gently said
goodbye to her best
buddy, she knew in
her heart she had
to give her permission to go. And
when she did, she
was gone.
I’m sure we pet
lovers DREAM of
finding a vet like
Carlee. On the
other token, her
husband Terry
knows how lucky
he is. Terry said,
“When God speaks
of a woman, ev-
28 Woman
The County
Magazine
eryone thinks about Adam and Eve. I
think about Proverbs 31. “Who can find a
virtuous woman? She is worth more than
precious rubies, her husband can trust her,
and she will greatly enrich his life. She will
not hinder him but help him all her life.
She is energetic, strong, a hard worker, and
always helps the poor. When she speaks,
her words are wise, and kindness is the
rule when she gives instruction.” This is
the woman I married, she has given a passion to life that is very rare. Carlee was
a junior in college when we married, and
then spent four more years in veterinary
school. When she graduated, she went to
work for a large animal vet in the valley. I
found out that she had not only a compassion for animals, but also a compassion
for people. She loved Jesus then and her
wisdom has only grown since. She has all
the virtues we all need, charity, forgiveness,
long-suffering, joy, peace, mercy, meekness,
gentleness, goodness and kindness. After
all, she would have to have these attributes
to be married to me! She has given me two
wonderful daughters that are a copy of her.
One is in college and is the president of
the honor society.
The other is still
in high school and
is on the honor
roll with a 4.0
grade average. She
has instilled in
both girls to commit their life to
God first and then
their plans will
succeed. Carlee