My story
…but why did I choose to become a veterinary technologist?
During my adolescent years, I found it extremely difficult to fit in with my peers as I was perhaps a bit socially awkward and had difficulty adhering to social norms. On top of that, I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder at 19, which is a major contributing cause of my depression and anxiety that I have suffered from an early age. The only time I felt completely calm and at peace was when I was surrounded by animals. They provided me with companionship and unconditional love, and still do. They do not judge or ridicule, and they have always had a special way of easing my loneliness and fulfilling a desperate desire to connect with others.
After graduating high school, I was still unsure about what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I was passionate about animal welfare. I started working at the largest non-kill animal shelter in North America, the North Shore Animal League (NSAL) in Port Washington, NY. While working as a kennel associate, I was able to watch the veterinary technicians perform their daily rounds and when given the opportunity, I would ask questions. I have always been curious and eager to learn, but it wasn’t until college that I was finally able to channel it towards something I was truly and deeply passionate about, veterinary medicine.
The vast majority of my time spent in college was dedicated to studying. At the time, I was planning on applying to vet school, which is highly competitive and knew that to even be considered I would have to have exceptional grades. Thankfully, I survived the five most intense and demanding years of my life which ended after receiving my degree, or so I thought!
Being a highly sensitive empath in a demanding and emotional career field, I quickly developed compassion fatigue and burnout. I made a difficult, but important decision to prioritize my mental and physical health, which required that I resign from my job and temporarily step back from the field of veterinary medicine. Shortly after leaving, I began to feel awful because I was not doing what I was born to do, save animals. I started selling used items online to fundraise for Hearts Alive Animal Rescue in Las Vegas, which gave me purpose. After reaching my goal and donating $1,000, I felt as if I was back to square one.
But… have you ever heard of the saying, “every cloud has a silver lining?”
A brilliant idea arose while expressing to my father my strong desire to help animals while not being ready to go back to working at the clinic. At that moment, Around the Clock Pet Talk was born! The creation of my blog has provided me with a place that I can express my passion and love for animals. It has brought me profound happiness to know that I am able to better the lives of animals all over the world by sharing my knowledge and experience. I am so excited to have the chance to connect with other crazy animal lovers like myself!
I MUST mention that I have five wonderful fur babies. They are ATC Pet Talk’s biggest, most loyal supporters. I am beyond grateful for their unconditional love. Athena and Abby are my kitties and Popo, Emma and Rocco are my pups. Each of them have very different personalities and their own goofy quirks that make them that much more precious.
