The number one question I am asked is...
Are you going to go to school to be a veterinarian like your Mom? The answer is always NO. My mom is a veterinarian for cats and dogs. She attended Auburn University for her undergraduate degree as well as for Vet school. She studied at Auburn for a total of eight years! I am from a small town, and when I decided to attend Auburn University, some saw this as me "following in her footsteps" to become a vet but this cannot be farther from the truth! I have witnessed what a veterinarian's life is like behind the scenes firsthand and while I love animals, my love for them does not mean that I want to be a vet.
Happy "tails"
There are many joys that come with constantly being surrounded by animals. When I was little I would ask to see the cats and dogs at the clinic and even convinced my mom to let me bring home a stray cat or dog (on many different occasions). This is why I have always grown up having many pets! I have to admit that I still feel the need to bring home animals that do not have a home, and I always seem to find the stray cats, or as I tell my mom "the cats find me"! Now my mom still shares pictures of animals with me and tells me about patients that have made miraculous recoveries. These stories are always my favorite to hear.
Behind the scenes
While there are many joys to growing up around animals I also know that not all stories have a happy ending. There were many times that my Mom would get to work to find a box full of kittens or puppies that had been left on the front doorstep. This was always disheartening because it made me think about what kind of person would do this to sweet little kittens or puppies. Aging and sick animals were always hard to see because they are a member of peoples' families.
Dedication to patients
I see how hard my mom works to provide the best care for her patients. I remember all of the sick animals that she brought home so she could monitor them overnight to make sure they were okay. Emergency visits and surgeries are very common. If I am with her and she gets an emergency call I will go with her to the clinic, and I even get attached to the animals and always ask how they are doing. My mom genuinely cares for the well-being of her patients!
