News of Dr. Tom Pisz's death was "a shock" for Nicole Spencer, the executive director of the NWT Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NWT SPCA).
"I visited him a few times over this last year," she said. "I knew he was not well, but I was surprised with his death."
Born in Poland, Pisz was the founder of Yellowknife's Great Slave Animal Hospital, and a prominent veterinarian in the city. He was beloved by many residents — both human and animal alike.
He died in mid-June at age 68.
Spencer, who has lived in Yellowknife for about 17 years, quickly got to know the doctor very well through her work, and soon began to consider him a friend.
"The NWT SPCA has worked with him for many, many years," she said. "Former boards had worked with him and partnered with Great Slave Animal Hospital.
"I started volunteering at Great Slave Animal Hospital [when I arrived in Yellowknife] — like walking dogs. I got to know Dr. Pisz then, and then later at the SPCA, I was on the board and became president of the SPCA and worked closer with the Great Slave Animal Hospital. We just formed a relationship both professionally through them being our partner vet clinic, and also I have dogs, so he was my vet."
As a vet, Pisz was also known for his tireless work ethic, and made himself available 24 hours a day in case of emergency.
"He was an amazing surgeon," Spencer said. "He knew what he was talking about, not just from his education. He just learned the old-fashioned way: learn as you go. He just saw so much that he could figure stuff out pretty well based on what he had seen in the past and the experience that he had gained over the years.
"He was on call 24 hours a day when it was just him there [at the animal hospital]. I don't know how he did it, but he was available a lot. He worked very, very hard."
On a personal level, he was sometimes considered "gruff," but lovable, she added.
"He had a great sense of humour once you got to know him. The word gruff comes up a lot, and the word grumpy, but he was honestly a very funny man. If you could get past the grumpiness, he was a very sweet person with a very big heart, and he did more for people than anybody knows."
Pisz's impact on the City of Yellowknife and its pet owners is indeed substantial. Great Slave Animal Hospital was the first facility of its kind in the NWT, and it changed the face of animal care in the territory, according to Spencer.
"It was a game-changer," she said. "Him being here and being as available as he was and putting in what he did, Yellowknife and the North greatly, greatly benefited from him. It definitely changed the [veterinary] situation of the North, absolutely.
"He was so beneficial and helpful to everybody in the North."
There are now other veterinarians based in the North, including the Great Slave Animal Hospital's Dr. Katie Denroche, who does great work keeping Yellowknife's pets healthy, according to Spencer.
However, Pisz's passing will leave a hole in the hearts of the people who knew him well, and anyone who saw the way he cared for the city's animals.
"It won't be the same," Spencer said, noting that her organization wouldn't be what is is today with the veterinarian's help. "We're very, very grateful."