I hope you all had a great Memorial Day.

 

I wonder how many of you have a favorite pet?

 

If you have multiple pets, is there one you like the most?

 

Having a favorite child is probably a prerequisite for lots of therapy later in life. But I think that choosing a favorite pet, either among those pets you have now or have over your lifetime is not damaging to your pet's inner puppy/kitten.

 

Feel free to have a favorite pet relationship and tell the world about it.

 

I haven't always been as sure about this conclusion as  I am now. I remember when I applied to veterinary school and received the letter that I had been granted an interview. 

 

 There were two parts to the interview. The first was a "hot" interview and was with a panel of 5 professors who had your entire record in front of them, including the 500 word essay that was required to accompany your application on why you wanted to become a veterinarian.

 

The second interview was with two professors and was called the "cold" interview. This interview was more ethical in nature, and the interviewers knew nothing about you except that you were a veterinary school applicant. With a good cop/bad cop feel, these professors asked you what you would do if for instance you knew of a collegue that was euthanizing animals without the owner's consent, or if you knew of a classmate that was cheating on an exam.

 

The hot interview was first and believe me, I was sweating. One of the professors was obviously the one in charge of me as he would ask questions about my academic transcript, my choice of classes, my grades. I still had hair then and I remember that my biggest worry was that my hair might absorb the sweat on my forehead.

 

The professor in charge of me was from Australia and was a radiologist. He was kind, but there were two others who seemed impatient. Half way through the interview one of them filled the silence with "Is this the student who didn't say he loved animals on his essay?"

 

"Yas, that's rowyt...Maak we couldn't help but to notice that out of the hundreds of essays that we read, yours didn't once mention that you loved animals"

 

The question was followed by a very heavy silence as I considered my options.

 

a) Get up and leave

b) vomit

c) Wipe the sweat off

d) Tell the truth.

 

I chose d).  My voice cracked as I explained my omission.

 

"For me, its kind of like people. Some you meet and you totally click. Its like you've known each other forever. Others are like nails on a chalkboard. For whatever reason, you just don't resonate on the same wavelength. "

 

I remember thinking as "wavelength" came out of my mouth that my chances of getting into veterinary school had just evaporated. They hadn't even gotten to my grade in second semester of Organic Chemistry, and I was toast already.

 

25 years later, I see this story differently. But then it seemed catastrophic. At 21 years old having your first interview for your childhood dream profession, saying something that stands out seemed like the end of the world. In all actuality, it probably helped more than it hurt. The real test ended up being whether I would respond honestly.

 

...and to think at the time I thought a) was my best choice.

 

 

So the reason I tell you this is that I am going to tell you about my current favorite pet. And last week I biopsied this pet's tail because I found a mass.

 

But you are going to have to wait until the next email because I have a time sensitive information matter. A client emailed me last week about a hoarding situation where 168 angora rabbits were taken from horrible circumstances. A network of bunny enthusiasts stretching from New Brunswick to lower New England transported them and got them spayed, neutered, cared for and now some of them will be up for adoption.

 

You can get more information by clicking on the bunny picture or by emailing Suzanne at zanne67@yahoo.com

 

 

Don't worry...I won't keep you guys hanging too long.....