Dr. Robert W. Perry

Robert W. Perry, DVM, passed away peacefully on April 15, 2024, at his home in Northport, NY. Born on April 5, 1950, Dr. Perry, known to many as Dr. Bob, led the Northshore Equine Clinic for many years. His animal clients included not only horses, but alpaca, llama, goats, and sheep among others. He was known for his kindness to both his patients and their owners. He will be missed by many.

Bob grew up in Melrose, MA and graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1972. After a year working on a horse farm in Hanover, PA, he attended the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, where he graduated in 1977. He moved to Northport after graduation, working initially in the practice of Dr. Richard Fredericks. In the mid-1980s he opened the Northshore Equine Clinic.

Bob discovered he wanted a career in veterinary medicine at about the age of eight, when he was visiting a farm owned by relatives of his mother in New Brunswick, Canada. Roaming the farm with his cousins, he knew that he wanted to care for the animals. He never wavered in working toward this goal; a man who had a true calling to his life’s work.

Dr. Perry is survived by his sister Sandy Perry and her husband David Kneeland. Bob traveled to Massachusetts almost every Thanksgiving and Christmas to be with them. He was predeceased by his loving parents Russell & Myra (Colpitts) Perry.

Although Dr. Bob’s main practice was horses, he especially enjoyed two other clients—the sheep and goats who inhabit Governors Island in the summer, as well as the many creatures at the Holtsville Ecology Site in Brookhaven, NY.

Donations in his memory may be made to the Friends of Governors Island, 10 South Street, Slip 7, New York, NY 10004. https://www.govisland.com/support/donate

Or you may Adopt-an-Animal at the Holtsville Ecology Site and Animal Preserve. https://www.brookhavenny.gov/197/Holtsville-Ecology-Site

A celebration of Dr. Bob’s life will take place at a later date.