In 1987, one week after Dr Nicole Lobry de Bruyn graduated from vet school, she was in a car accident that left her paraplegic. The life-altering event changed a lot of her preconceptions of what she was going to do as a vet.
‘In 1987, there were hardly any disabled vets,’ she says. ‘Veterinary clinics back then could be difficult, non-accessible workplaces. It took me a lot of perseverance to maintain a commitment to doing that. But I also had a few really good bosses who were very accepting, open, and kind.’
Despite facing adversity, Dr Lobry de Bruyn has consistently found a way forward when faced with obstacles. That was how she shifted from being a GP vet to starting her Perth-based vet behaviour practice, Animal Sense.
While she was working as a GP vet, Dr Lobry de Bruyn adopted a rescue dog who was having behavioural problems. She discovered there was a whole world of animal behavioural knowledge that she didn't know about – so she began studying.
‘I did some special courses and extra study. I didn't do it with the intention of becoming a full-time behaviour veterinarian. I did it just because I wanted to learn more,’ she says.
After more than 25 years working as a small animal vet, that combination of resilience and curiosity opened doors for her at Murdoch University, where she started a small behaviourist consultancy attached to the vet hospital.
From setbacks to new directions
Happy in her position at Murdoch University, it wasn’t until 2020 that Dr Lobry de Bruyn had to reconsider her options. ‘When COVID happened the hospital there just closed. They said, “We're not seeing clients. We're taking dogs in from the car park”. And they really closed my business.’
Dr Lobry de Bruyn knew this wasn’t the kind of service that could be offered without people. As an essential service, however, she was still legally allowed to operate if done so at a distance while wearing masks.
She quickly searched for a location and found a warehouse space she could adapt. ‘I also found an app that would do all my bookings. I was really amazed at how as a single operator, with no reception, no nurse, no anything, that I could run my business. It was actually great for me because I felt so empowered by the fact that I had achieved this,’ she says.
With the success of her fast-launching business, Dr Lobry de Bruyn started thinking about the possibilities of owning her own building, a notion she’d never considered before. After speaking to others about her ideas, she found out about BOQ Specialist.
She was pleasantly surprised that a real person – in the form of Josh van Bruchem – came out and saw her. ‘I was so happy to actually have a physical human come out,’ she says. ‘I was thinking, “Oh no, what's he going to think? Here I am with this warehouse.” But he totally got it and was really supportive.’
An unexpected leap into business ownership
After looking for a building to buy, and having a few potential locations fall through, Dr Lobry de Bruyn finally found success in an off-the-plan warehouse that she could customise for her needs, including putting a lift in to access upstairs rooms.
One of the features of the new building was a second upstairs consulting space, which was ideal as she had brought on a new associate, Dr Zoe Devine.
‘Even though it's a factory unit, it's been done up, fitted out really nicely. It has beautiful floors and nice art and furnishings, and I feel really proud of it,’ she says.
‘The clinic feels really good and I just love being there, and I can see that I can make it work.’
One person she particularly wanted to show it off to was Josh. ‘I feel incredibly grateful for Josh because he was great to work with,’ she says. ‘He could answer all my silly questions about how loans work. I never felt like it was a silly question to ask him.
Backing a vision
Josh van Bruchem first met Dr Lobry de Bruyn when she was renting a facility in North Fremantle. ‘She was paying a very high rent, and she just was not comfortable with the insecurity of not owning the practice herself. She really wanted to look around into options,’ says Josh.
Dr Lobry de Bruyn was blown away when she discovered BOQ Specialist could fund 100 per cent of the purchase price of the property, as well as any fit-out requirements.
‘We were able to provide Nicole with the finance within about four days. And we were able to give her finance approval so she could put her offer down, which she was really pleased with,’ he says.
While construction constraints led to some delays, Josh says Dr Lobry de Bruyn eventually got into the property and fitted it out beautifully. ‘I don't think you'd call it a practice, but a beautiful building nestled in the trees in a location called O'Connor,’ he says.
‘The popularity of her practice has really exploded. Now that she has full capacity, she's booked three to four months in advance.’
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