He learned, from people who had "suffered through far worse tragedies than me," about the resilience of the human spirit. "We have a tendency to just never heal in the U.S.," he said. "I learned to let things go."
There was a time that didn't come easy. In his 20s, he visited his parents in College Park, not long after his father, as chancellor, had forced the resignation of basketball coach Lefty Driesell after the cocaine-related death of player Len Bias.
Slaughter watched his mother step outside with a smile to meet the mailman, who, an apparent Driesell supporter, flung the mail at her and made a racial slur. Slaughter fumed -- even after he told the mailman off.
Last call
Lisa Marie Kiessling was standing outside her Hampden home -- a Great Dane on each side of her -- when Slaughter pulled up for his last house call of the day.
Slaughter accompanied Kiess- ling to Wyman Park, set his medical bag on a tree stump and gave both dogs a once-over -- first Carson on the Rocks, then her son, BearBear. Once he was done, both galloped off to play.
Time for a change
On Sept. 11, 2001, the phone rang as Slaughter watched news coverage of the World Trade Center collapse. It was a Morgan Stanley client, angry that her mortgage couldn't be processed that day.
What had been long dawning on him -- that he no longer fit the stockbroker mold or maybe never did -- hit him harder yet as widespread corruption and malfeasance, a la Enron, began making headlines.
Slaughter, who divorced in his 20s, was assessing his options when a girlfriend suggested he go back to veterinary medicine. In 2003, he left high finance, began writing his book and started studying veterinary science again.
Realizing his old textbooks were hopelessly out of date, he bought new ones and spent the next three years studying.
After getting his vet's license, he was hired by Banfield Animal Hospital. He started his private practice last year. He's not making stockbroker money, but Slaughter is fine with that.
"Being a veterinary practitioner is a warm, soulful experience," where "compassion and understanding trump everything else," he said. "Regardless of the profession, people -- especially pet parents -- don't care what you know, until they know you care."
john.woestendiek@baltsun.com
