I don't remember when I first wanted to become a vet, but my mom remembers it. She loves to tell the story of how, as a toddler, I would use my toy stethoscope to try to find the heart in my stuffed animals. I can't remember a time when I didn't want to work with animals. Throughout my life, my desire to make animals well has never diminished. Instead, I have refined and narrowed it to a more specific field of interest. Now, in addition to knowing that I want to help sick animals become healthy, I know that I want to do so in the area of companion animal behavior. As I studied the bonds between owner and pet, I discovered that a many relationships were destroyed because of undesirable behaviors in the pet. My interest was immediately sparked. I could work in an area where I could save the life of an animal by educating the owner and helping to modify the unwanted behavior of their pet.
My pets have been a big influence in my decision. I've almost always had pets and been intrigued by their behaviors and what the mean. I've also worked at three vet clinics (small, med, large) and found (or reconfirmed) from those experiences that I love working with animals, prefer the behavioral side to the medical side, and love interacting with pet owners.