I grew up enjoying the constant companionship of family pets including dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters and fish which continued on into adulthood. As a young one I also got to care for ducks, geese and pond koi at the nursery my mother worked at. As a young adult, I relocated up north and worked with a zoo for a couple of years as a volunteer in the children's zoo which included goats, pigs, rabbits and an alpaca. I also had the opportunity to work within the rainforest exhibit which included free range ringneck ducks, double striped thick knees, and even a group of slothes that I got to help provide care for while educating the public about the exhibit itself. And don't be fooled, lol, slothes can move a lot faster than most people realize. Later in life, I moved further west and worked for a teaching veterinary hospital starting out in the kennel and medical boarding department where I got to learn a lot about nutrition, post surgical care and specialized handling pertaining to a multitude of species including turtles, hamsters, mice, rats, gerbils, cats and dogs including working class, hunting, and sledding dogs along with a variety of rescued animals. After a couple of years, I moved up into the surgical department as a technician assistant. One of the neatest things about this in particular was to have the opportunity to provide continuous care to our patients. I found it truly rewarding to be able to be that familiar face to help ease our patients anxieties about being in such a unfamiliar environment, being there as they recovered and then getting to see their progress when they came back for checkups. Nothing could compare to that and working with the rescues. I have to admit though getting to interact with the interns as they came through and sharing my passion for the job with them, while watching them grow was right up there too. Further down the line, I ended up working with yaks and cows on a friend's farm where I also hand raised chickens, ducks and turkeys. In the near future, I plan to pursue further education and certification in the veterinary field and eventually one day perhaps even a DVM. That's the dream and at the heart of it is the animal care most importantly, individualized quality compassionate care because just like us they all have truly unique personalities and deserve the best!