When I arrive at the Medicor surgery, a picturesque converted barn near the Fairy Bridge in Santon, the whole Kuberka family comes spilling outside to greet me.

Lukasz, his wife Aga, their three sons, Christopher, Gregory and Peter and two dogs, Bruce the bassett hound and Dino the border collie cross.

This is one very noisy, happy household.

Although the boys do not know yet what they want to do when they grow up, for Lukasz there was never any doubt, as he explains: ’I knew I will be a vet ever since I was a kid.

’My father, uncle and two cousins are also vets.

’I started injecting my teddy bears with water when I was five years old - all my teddy bears were soaked!’

When his class at primary school were asked to draw pictures of themselves in their future careers Lukasz drew a picture of himself with his arm up a cow’s rear end, checking for pregnancy.

His father was a large animal vet, working for the Polish government veterinary department.

’As soon as I finished school each day I used to jump in his car and go with him,’ he recalls.

In those days Poland was still under communist control and there was a culture of not always knowing who one could trust ’but when they were friends they were really friends’.

In 1989, when Lukasz was 10 years old all this changed and he went on to veterinary science at the University of Wroclaw, graduating in 2005 and then opening his own practice.

But then he decided to see the world and, with this in mind, he decided that Engish lessons would be useful.

His teacher was an English literature graduate called Aga and romance soon blossomed. By the time he made the move to Dubai in 2011 he and Aga were married with one child and another on the way.

Their two youngest were both born there.

Lukasz’s job there was at the biggest British veterinary hospital where he worked with an international team of vets from New Zealand, the UK, Spain and the United States.

Comparing best practice with them gave him the chance to realise that the standard of vet teaching at Polish universities was as good as anything in the world.

As his sons were starting to grow Lukasz and Aga’s thoughts turned to their education and decided that the time had come to leave Dubai.

’We had to find a nice place where Engish is the national language, with good schools and a safe place to be.

’We were just trying to give our sons the best options.’

He found a job with the island’s Milan vets practice through an international vet recruiting website and he and the family came to the island in 2015.

’It’s really a beautiful place, so safe and so much more rural than Dubai.

’And the weather is amazing.

’I really love it after six months a year when the temperatures were 50C and you couldn’t go outside.’

And one more surprise for the family - there really are sheep in the fields here.

In Poland, Lukasz tells me, there are very few sheep and, despite the film Shaun the Sheep being his children’s favourite, they hadn’t realised they would see so many fields full of real ones.

The family brought Bruce with them from Dubai.

He had been imported from the Ukraine as a puppy for the daughter of one of the sheikhs but she had grown bored with him and they adopted him.

Since arriving here they have also taken on Dino, a border collie cross with behavioural issues who is still inclined to eat the furniture if left unsupervised!

Starting a new surgery has given them the chance to buy all the very latest equipment for the treatment of small animals including a ventilator machine for their surgical department -currently the only one in use on the island.

’The latest next step,’ as Lukasz describes it.

They also have all the other equipment you would expect, including x-ray machine, dental machine and oxygen concentrator and a machine which can analyse blood samples to diagnose most conditions.

’We rarely have to send anything away to other labs,’ says Lukasz.

Although the pratice has plenty of parking, Lukasz hasn’t forgotten those people who don’t drive but still want to bring their animals to see a vet.

Lukasz has plans to start a pick up service to bring them to the surgery, in a dedicated vehicle driven by his cousin, Matty, who is also working with him.

With Aga on reception and answering calls, this is very much a family business and it all helps to create the welcome that Lukasz wants to give his patients and their owners.

He says: ’A friendly and approachable attitude is crucial in my work.

’I love my job and I believe that my patients deserve not only exemplary care but also full dedication.’

Medicor, Ballastrang Farm Santon, 663399.

Feature by Julie Blackburn

When I arrive at the Medicor surgery, a picturesque converted barn near the Fairy Bridge in Santon, the whole Kuberka family comes spilling outside to greet me.

Lukasz, his wife Aga, their three sons, Christopher, Gregory and Peter and two dogs, Bruce the bassett hound and Dino the border collie cross.

This is one very noisy, happy household.

Although the boys do not know yet what they want to do when they grow up, for Lukasz there was never any doubt, as he explains: ’I knew I will be a vet ever since I was a kid.

’My father, uncle and two cousins are also vets.

’I started injecting my teddy bears with water when I was five years old - all my teddy bears were soaked!’

When his class at primary school were asked to draw pictures of themselves in their future careers Lukasz drew a picture of himself with his arm up a cow’s rear end, checking for pregnancy.

His father was a large animal vet, working for the Polish government veterinary department.

’As soon as I finished school each day I used to jump in his car and go with him,’ he recalls.

In those days Poland was still under communist control and there was a culture of not always knowing who one could trust ’but when they were friends they were really friends’.

In 1989, when Lukasz was 10 years old all this changed and he went on to veterinary science at the University of Wroclaw, graduating in 2005 and then opening his own practice.

But then he decided to see the world and, with this in mind, he decided that Engish lessons would be useful.

His teacher was an English literature graduate called Aga and romance soon blossomed. By the time he made the move to Dubai in 2011 he and Aga were married with one child and another on the way.

Their two youngest were both born there.

Lukasz’s job there was at the biggest British veterinary hospital where he worked with an international team of vets from New Zealand, the UK, Spain and the United States.

Comparing best practice with them gave him the chance to realise that the standard of vet teaching at Polish universities was as good as anything in the world.

As his sons were starting to grow Lukasz and Aga’s thoughts turned to their education and decided that the time had come to leave Dubai.

’We had to find a nice place where Engish is the national language, with good schools and a safe place to be.

’We were just trying to give our sons the best options.’

He found a job with the island’s Milan vets practice through an international vet recruiting website and he and the family came to the island in 2015.

’It’s really a beautiful place, so safe and so much more rural than Dubai.

’And the weather is amazing.

’I really love it after six months a year when the temperatures were 50C and you couldn’t go outside.’

And one more surprise for the family - there really are sheep in the fields here.

In Poland, Lukasz tells me, there are very few sheep and, despite the film Shaun the Sheep being his children’s favourite, they hadn’t realised they would see so many fields full of real ones.

The family brought Bruce with them from Dubai.

He had been imported from the Ukraine as a puppy for the daughter of one of the sheikhs but she had grown bored with him and they adopted him.

Since arriving here they have also taken on Dino, a border collie cross with behavioural issues who is still inclined to eat the furniture if left unsupervised!

Starting a new surgery has given them the chance to buy all the very latest equipment for the treatment of small animals including a ventilator machine for their surgical department -currently the only one in use on the island.

’The latest next step,’ as Lukasz describes it.

They also have all the other equipment you would expect, including x-ray machine, dental machine and oxygen concentrator and a machine which can analyse blood samples to diagnose most conditions.

’We rarely have to send anything away to other labs,’ says Lukasz.

Although the pratice has plenty of parking, Lukasz hasn’t forgotten those people who don’t drive but still want to bring their animals to see a vet.

Lukasz has plans to start a pick up service to bring them to the surgery, in a dedicated vehicle driven by his cousin, Matty, who is also working with him.

With Aga on reception and answering calls, this is very much a family business and it all helps to create the welcome that Lukasz wants to give his patients and their owners.

He says: ’A friendly and approachable attitude is crucial in my work.

’I love my job and I believe that my patients deserve not only exemplary care but also full dedication.’

Medicor, Ballastrang Farm Santon, 663399.