why I chose veterinary medicine
Vet med is undoubtedly, whole heartedly- my life, my dream, and my passion. Some of my earliest and fondest memories are of animals. I was lucky enough to grow up in a loving home filled with all sorts of animals, from fuzzy to scaly. Dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and a snake were just some of the pets I grew up with. My mom worked as a vet tech at a small, local beach town general practice. My mom is my biggest supporter, my inspiration, my favorite teacher and coach, and I don’t think I could ever thank her enough for all she does for me. My mom is a huge part of my why, and if it wasn’t for her encouragement and guidance and her example of what a veterinary professional IS, I do not know where I would be in my life. Yes, I am one of “those” — I knew I wanted to be a vet for as long as I can remember. But that doesn’t mean my path to vet school was a straight line, and of course it was NOT easy.
When I was in 8 years old, my mom decided our family was going to start raising/training Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB). So, for the next 10 years I dedicated pretty much all of my free time to raising GDB puppies. At the time, I had no idea how much this would shape who I am today. Raising and training guide dogs taught me SO much. From an early age I developed life skills and learned about responsibility, humility, communication, animal behavior, hard work, and resilience, just to name a few. I learned to love, and let go. I learned what it takes to raise a dog, and MY GOODNESS having a puppy 24/7 is WORK.
I took these pups to school with me, trained on the weekends, and poured everything I had into these dogs. And then the day would come when GDB asked for them back so they could potentially be matched with a life partner and give someone their freedom back. A small piece of me left with each dog, but a new appreciation formed knowing that I could actually DO SOMETHING and HELP PEOPLE. And that is my why. Helping people by and with helping animals is my WHY. Giving animals and people a better life and a better future is what fuels me every single day.
Working a dog and teaching them a task gives me the same excitement and feeling of accomplishment as a successful surgery and I firmly believe animal training and vet med are more intertwined than some people think. Training guide dogs is what sparked my passion in animal behavior and training. This then propelled me just that much more into veterinary medicine, and I haven’t looked back since. My dogs are my best friends, and are what have gotten me through the best and the worst of times, all of my ups and downs.
I love vet med and am SO excited to be a part of this profession. I remember when I was young, I would watch my mom work, and I would fold surgery packs for hours just to be able to get to sneak into the surgery suite to watch a spay. Looking back, it seems like just yesterday, but it also feels like a lifetime ago. I remember my own excitement when I got to draw up vaccines so long ago, and I hope to one day be able to inspire other young, eager future veterinary professionals.
GDB is an amazing nonprofit organization that provide free guide dogs to those in need. I would encourage everyone to look into organizations such as GDB because they are doing some amazing things, and changing people’s lives. Another important thing to bring up is the role of service dogs, and proper service dog etiquette. I will absolutely be writing another post about service dogs, so stay tuned for that big soap box of mine!
LOL okay if you actually read all that you deserve to see some cringe-worthy throwback photos from my awkward years…
enjoy :))
