So you wanna be a vet....

My first blog...  "So you wanna be a vet..."

One of the most common things people have said to me over the years when they have met me for the first time is that they "always wanted to be a vet".  It always amazes me that so many people have thought at one time or another about being a veterinarian. But then again, I don't really know why I should be surprised. About 50% of the population grow up with a pet in their household and I know strong bonds form between children and pets.

As far back as I can remember, I loved animals. I was obsessed with them and would collect and read books and encyclopedias about all of the many types of animals in the world. This might come as a surprise to some but I always envisioned myself growing up and becoming a Zoologist.  Veterinary Medicine didn't seriously enter my thought processes until much later.

Despite the fact that I had dogs, lizards and fish as a child, I had very little exposure to Veterinarians and Veterinary Medicine. My father grew up on a farm and taking a pet to a vet was very foreign to him. He was not a great role model in that regard.  I still vividly remember going to camp for 2 weeks when I was 12 years old and returning to find that my dog "Sandy" was missing.  I eventually was told that my father had decided that Sandy in his old age was suffering and had him put out of his misery.  I never forgave my father for not telling me what was to happen while I was away at camp.  That experience changed me and I became even more of an advocate for animals. Even today I don't particularly like fishing for fear of hurting the fish.

As a young teenager I obtained some part-time and summer jobs working in several pet stores and on a Dairy Farm all the time not knowing exactly what I was going to do with my life. But I knew it had to involve animals. In high school I took some aptitude tests and "Veterinarian" kept rising to the top of the lists. It was only then that I started to research seriously what a career in Veterinary Medicine was all about.  After a few days it was settled. I would be a Vet. Or so I hoped.  I was made aware that it was a very challenging course to get in to and not everyone who wanted to be a Vet could be or would be.

Once my mind was made up, I was completely unwavering. I accelerated through high school as quickly as possible and made my way up to the University of Guelph completely focused on the task at hand. I was lucky to land a summer job with a Veterinary Hospital (Lennox Animal Hospital in Weston) between my first and second year at Guelph and applied to be accepted into the program. The application process and interview were pretty scary and to this day can recall almost every question the 3 veterinarians on the panel asked me. A couple of months later I got a phone call (there was a mail strike on at the time)... YESSSSSSSSSSSSS... I had been accepted into the Veterinary Program on my first attempt!!  I felt very lucky, blessed and very very thankful.  My life-long dream of working with animals was going to be a reality...          To be continued.