Dr Oakley husband is not on the show because he is not a trained vet. Dr Oakley partner Shane Oakley is a wildland firefighter.
The only all-species veterinarian for hundreds of miles in Yukon Territory, Dr. Michelle Oakley is the star of the Nat Geo Wild series Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet, which premiered on April 4, 2012.
The show follows Oakley and her adventures usually around Haines Junction, Yukon, and Haines, Alaska -her home base.
In the series, viewers see the vet darting bison by helicopter, performing surgery on a bear, stalking wolverines, facing new challenges with the wildlife of the north, and doing many more adventures.
Both wild and domestic animals are incredibly important to the Yukon people and Oakley will do anything to keep them safe and sound.
On top of being the Yukon Territory vet, she also maintains the roles of wife, mother, and yes, as an American TV personality. She has only grown in popularity since her time on television.
And now starring in Season 11, she travels throughout the area doctoring animals that require her assistance. And, of course, she has her daughters to help her. But what about her partner?
Why Is Dr Oakley Husband Not On Show?
Dr Oakley husband is not on the show as he is not a trained vet like his wife and daughters. Shane did make appearances on the show in the past.
And while fans wonder, why Shane does not appear on the show with his family, well, he did in the past seasons. But it has been at least five years, viewers have not seen him on the screen.
According to his IMDb profile, he appeared alongside his wife in all episodes of Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet Season 1 in 2014. For a 10-episode Season 2, he has credits for seven episodes.
In Season 3, fans saw him in only three episodes (E1, E5, and E6). As the show’s popularity began to take its speed, Oakley started making lesser appearances in the series.
He was seen in one episode in Season 5 in 2016. He made his last appearance in the first episode of Season 5 in 2017.
Oakley’s sudden disappearance from the show made many fans wonder about his whereabouts. Perhaps, he decided to focus more on his personal and professional life, staying away from the media.
To the relief of viewers, he often shows up on his beloved wife’s social media posts.
He serves as a Regional Protection Officer in his hometown in Yukon for Wildland Fire Management. Oakley has been working the job for nearly three decades.
Oakley stands as the greatest supporter of his spouse and respects her love for nature and wildlife. The family lives on a farm near Haines Junction, where they have animals of their own like cats, dogs, and horses.
The pair love traveling together and going to new places. The vet often posts beautiful pictures of her family and their adventures on her socials.
Is Dr Michelle Oakley Still Married?
Yes, Dr. Michelle is still married to her beloved husband, Shane, and they share three daughters. The love birds celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary last year.
Dr. Oakley isn’t from the Yukon area. She was born and raised in Indiana, and it wasn’t until at the University of Michigan, where she was studying Animal Biology, that she learned about the area.
Her university had a study in the Yukon and she took her first trip to the area as a field assistant on an arctic ground squirrel ecology study. She then found the place the most incredible wilderness.
She knew right away that the beautiful Canadian Territory would be her forever home.
Adding more, she met and fell in love with Shane, a local wildland firefighter, on the same trip. He kept referring to her as a “squirrel girl” concerning her studies.
She came back to Yukon a year later, and the pair started dating. Oakley, who had never left Yukon before, came to visit her at the University of Michigan. He landed in Detroit and Michelle picked him up.
Coming from a rural area, he had never been on an escalator or a building over three stories.
Her friends used to call him “Crocodile Dundee” because the film was out around then. For him, it was a different experience. Dr. Oakley went back to Yukon after graduating and the rest is history.
They married on December 10, 1992, in Hawaii. After the marriage, she joined The Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
She completed her education in 2000 and earned her M.D. in veterinary medicine. Shen then worked as the wildlife veterinarian and regional biologist for Yukon’s Fish & Wildlife Department for nine years.
During the pandemic, with jobs and Covid-19 restrictions, the husband and wife had to be in a long-distance relationship for a long time. Yet, their love and devotion remained strong.
