All my life, I've felt a strong connection with all animals and had an intense interest in them. I grew up in a small town about an hour north of Chicago in an area surrounded by forest preserves and nature trails. In both of my childhood homes, my backyard transitioned into a beautiful wooded conservation area, which I delighted in exploring. It was full of ravines, fields, and thickets, all of which I was intimately familiar with. A creek ran along the edge of the preserve that was full of minnows, toads and crayfish, and we routinely spotted deer and red foxes in our yard. I was thrilled anytime I was lucky enough to come in close contact with a wild animal. Catching snakes and toads was a common pastime of mine- I would always release them, but by tracking and examining them, I learned firsthand about their anatomy and behavior. I earned the derisive nickname "Creek Thing" from some of the older kids in the neighborhood who found it weird that I spent so much time in and around the creek.
My mom is an avid birdwatcher and botanist, and from her I gained a deeper appreciation for the bountiful and vibrant ecosystem surrounding us. She encouraged my interest in animals by getting me subscriptions to Zoobooks, Ranger Rick, and Your Big Backyard that I read and reread, and tolerating my collection of animal skulls and snake skins that I would find on my adventures and store behind the counter in our basement. Stray cats would routinely visit our backyard on account of the catnip plants growing along the side of our house, and I fondly remember my mom and I bringing them into the garage and feeding them. Once, we were even able to reunite a lost cat with his owners when my mother saw a newspaper classified ad looking for an orange Persian that fit the description of one of our frequent visitors. She also set a great example of how to properly care for companion animals. When I got a pet hamster for my kindergarten graduation, she researched the proper care and feeding, and made sure that I took care of my little friend and all the ones who came after him. When I came home from college with a 20-gallon fish tank and got lazy about cleaning it, my mom didn't complain about helping me out. A couple years later, I brought home my pet rabbit Charlie without my parents' permission. Despite my disobedience, my mother made sure that I got my bunny spayed and fed her a proper diet with lots of timothy hay.
I became a vegetarian at 16 out of concern for animal welfare, and because of that transition, I started educating myself on all the hardships that animals face in our society at the hands of human beings. I excelled at Biology and Zoology in high school, and dreamed of being a marine biologist. I knew that I wanted to work with animals, but I thought that my career options were limited because I wasn't very good at math. I explored the arts in college instead, taking classes in graphic design, photography, and fine arts, ultimately graduating with a degree in Fiction Writing. Even though I wasn't in an animal-related field, I started volunteering at animal shelters and became active in animal welfare causes. After graduating college, I was unable to find a job in my chosen field, and I soon found myself working administrative jobs that frustrated me and drained my energy. When I was laid off from my job in 2009, I took it as an opportunity. I had heard of the veterinary technician field from a friend who had worked as a vet tech for several years, and I thought it sounded like a perfect career for me. I enrolled in the Veterinary Technology program at a local college in March of 2010, and graduated with an Associate's degree in August of 2011.
The program was intensive- I attended five days a week of full-time classes where we learned about animal handling and treatment, anatomy, venipuncture, laboratory sciences, radiology, emergency care, nutrition, behavior, pharmacology, and anesthesia, among other things. In addition, each student worked a certain number of animal care duty shifts per term. These shifts took place before or after classes and on the weekends and involved exercising, feeding and medicating the school's resident animals and cleaning their cages or runs. With sometimes upwards of 30 dogs and 30 cats plus an assortment of rabbits, gerbils, mice and rats, this could take a team of students upwards of 3 hours to finish. We were also required to complete observation hours each term at a veterinary clinic or other facility that employs vet techs, and the last two months of the program were spent at an off-site externship at a hospital or facility of our choice. A term of learning about exotics, an in-house surgical assisting rotation and a week on a children's farm were also included. The school was about an hour and a half commute each way for me, and I was walking dogs part-time for income. Needless to say, it was exhausting, but it was worth every minute. I gained experience in so many different areas of veterinary medicine, and I passed the Veterinary Technician National Exam in November of 2011. I am working in a field I love, and I get to use my knowledge to help animals every day.
I now work full-time at a private day practice on Chicago's North Side, and I also work relief at a low-cost spay and neuter clinic affiliated with a large no-kill shelter on the Southwest side of the city. I am dedicated to helping animals through education, preventative care, and quality treatment, and I support animal rescue and no-kill sheltering. I have found amazing fulfillment through working with animals, and it saddens me that people often misunderstand and abuse the amazing creatures we share our world with. I started this blog to give animals a voice through using my own, and to do as much as I can to give back to the animals who have enriched my life so greatly.
Oh, and I still walk dogs on the side. :)
