11-11-09
First, today, I want to thank all of our veterans and all those serving in the military. I am deeply grateful.
Second, I was thinking how ironic it is that I have found myself in a profession where I meet an abundance of dogs and their owners and form personal attachments with many of them (yes, both the dogs and the humans).
Why is this paradoxical? Well, because when I was younger and mulling over career paths, veterinary medicine was high on my list. It seemed obvious -- I loved animals, often more than humans. But one thing held me back: my fear of always being sad and in distress. I cannot stand when an animal is sick, or being mistreated, or about to die. It makes me so very sad, to my core.
Luckily, as a dog groomer, rarely do I see a dog who is being mistreated; however, often I see dogs who are sick and old and going to die.
Many of my clients start with me when their dogs are puppies and I continue with them until old age, tumors, cancer, and the inevitable. So now, I find myself not only having to face my own dogs' deaths, but also the deaths of my canine clients. Most of the time I deal with it OK, but sometimes it gets to me and makes me sad. Of course, I am not saying that I am as sad as the owners, but it is truly difficult to lose a client who has become a friend (yes, dogs are my friends).
Surely, I would not trade my job for anything (well, not for much). The experience of getting to know all of these dogs and being able to see them, for the most part, at least 6 times a year is wonderful. And yes, becoming friendly with their owners is often a perk too. Most of my clients are A-O-K people -- dog owners willing to go that extra step to keep their pets happy.
It's just that the past few weeks it seems we are going through a bad cycle, and I am sad. It's OK, I'll get over it. But know I am thinking of all of you.
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