Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!

Doyle Dental is a very unique dental office.

What is normally the view from the patient’s chair at a dental office? A blank, white wall? A parking lot? Well, here in Carmel New York, you could see a bear!

That’s right. At Doyle Dental in Carmel, the view from the window is a sneak peek into “Wild Kingdom” sometimes. All five operatory rooms boast a view into the backyard of our office. Whether you’re getting your teeth cleaned by the hygienist or filled by the dentist, you can observe the sights of nature in all its glory.

Farthest over, in Drs. Dennis and Romina Doyle’s operatory room, you would have the best view of the calm stream that flows by. Calm until a storm that is, and then it rushes past, over the rocks that sit on the bottom of it.

Dr. Dan Doyle likes to keep the birds well fed. Because of this, any birder would be well entertained by the variety in our back yard. Not only do the typical robins, cardinals, and yellow finches appear. In the fall, turkeys will saunter through the yard. In the winter, ducks will waddle on the frozen stream. You may see a great blue heron standing on the log that bridges that stream, or a hawk swoop down and up.

Of course a regular supply of bird seed means we have some squirrels that are regular customers as well. We watch them scurry around and then hang upside down on the bird feeders to steal bird seed. It’s quite the funny sight, and can relax a nervous patient or two. But, every once in a while, we get a bigger customer. Last year, in the late spring/early summer, a bear appeared. It was small (as small as a bear can be), and adorable (according to us girls in the office). It looked to be about a year old, and loved the bird seed. For about two weeks, it kept coming back, either sitting in the yard, eating the bird seed on the ground, or stealing the bird feeder itself and lumbering into the woods. (Prompting Dr. Dan to run out after it, calling for his bird feeder back.) Needless to say, it was quite the distraction for doctor and patient alike. Work would halt for a few minutes and bibbed patients would stand at the windows with the staff, taking pictures on their phones. Sadly, all exciting things must come to an end. The bear (whom we never named unfortunately), has since moved on and is hopefully lumbering off into the sunset, eating bird seed to his heart’s content.

So if you live in the Carmel area, love nature, and are in need of some great dentistry (and a dentist or two that could “name that bird” for you), you’re in for a treat. Doyle Dental is the place for you! Every day is a guaranteed show of woodland creatures.

They just can’t help you get dressed in the morning.