Veterinary Technician At Work and At Home!

Welcome to my first post of this hopefully successful blog! My name is Autumn and I LOVE Animals! All Animals!
When I was a Child my father used to call me Ellie Mae (Beverly Hillbillies reference) because in the show she always had lots of animals and was always bringing one home! That's how I was growing up.

I graduated from Florida State University in May of 2009 with a BA in German Language/Studies. When I started college I never knew what I wanted to pursue as a career goal, which is how I ended up with a German Degree, I stuck with what I knew to get college over with. During my Junior Year of college, I was blessed with an interview at a Spay and Neuter Clinic in Tallahassee. I was working at a Cracker Barrel and needed more money to pay my rent and bills. I got the job starting as a receptionist at Animal Aid. After 1 month of working there I knew this was the job field for me. I was again, a Junior in college and at the end of that Semester before I was considered a Senior. I was out of time to change my major, but this did not sway my firm life decision.

I have to say I have a lot of people to thank for my continued intrest and love for the veterinary field.
First I have to thank my Parents. Growing up we always had at least one animal in our household, whether it was a cat, a dog, fish, hamsters, rabbits, or turtles/tortises, they always encouraged our (my brother and I) love for animals. They also encouraged me to pursue whatever I wanted in life (even if sometimes they were annoyed at the paths I was taking to reach those goals).

I also have to thank a good friend and former (and hopefully future) coworker. Dr. Nicole Nichols D.V.M. After graduating college, getting married, and moving back to Central Florida to be closer to my husband's job, I started working at a Banfield (one of those chain vet clinics). Nicole was one of three Veterinarians working at this clinic. When expressing my thoughts on possibly applying to vet schools in the near(ish) future, she confided in my that she believed in my abilities and that they were a strong enough stepping stone to help attain the goal of becoming a vet one day. She is always there to answer any question I have about treating a pet, diagnosing, or vet school specifics. She is truly a great friend and someone I hope is in my life for a very long time!

I need to thank, of course, my amazing Husband, Jeremy! I have been with this man for almost 6 years (married for almost 2 of those 6 years!) and he has NEVER doubted my abilities or my drive toward reaching my goals. He is also my anchor. He keeps me from giving up or moving too quickly. I love him so so so much!

Last, but not least, I need to thank Margo Garcia. She was the manager of Animal Aid (the small spay and neuter clinic I first worked at in Tallahassee). Margo is an inspirational person to me and I don't think she even knows to! She believed in me and hired me onto her staff. I admired the way she ran her clinic with efficiancy and determination. She knew how to speak to clients which I still admire her for. She knew when to be sympathetic, educational, firm, and appreciative. This woman (along with her amazing staff) helps so many animals in Tallahassee. When I was working there, we had gotten about 5-6 hurricane Katrina victim animals in to place in homes, and we found THEM ALL homes. She explained procedures to clients with ease and worked with our local shelter to spay and neuter newly adopted pets! I will never forget her strength and wisdom and one day I hope someone will look up to me as I did to her.

I am sure I have forgotten people but I do not appreciate them any less.

I plan on using this blog to reminisce about past patients, current patients, my own zoo at home, and my journey from German major to DVM.