Don't you just love animals? I personally love dogs. I was fortunate enough to have my little beagle Lucky for 16 great years. He really was my best friend. Although I never wanted to be a veterinarian, my twin sister did at one point in time.
It seems like a lot of kids want that when they're younger. The idea of taking care of cats, dogs and other cuddly friends is so heartwarming. After all, the only thing animals ever do is love us, obey us and play with us. Okay fine, maybe the obey part only applies to owners that have trained their furry friends well. Lucky never was a good listener though. Something about squirrels jumping back and forth in a quick zigzag pattern as they escaped his grasp could keep the little guy running around the park off leash for hours.
Anyway, the funny thing is that although we all know many people that absolutely love their pets, and some that go as far as treating their pets like human beings, it seems like becoming a veterinarian in most cases is just a childhood dream that eventually fades away, much like the way dreams of becoming a professional athlete or ballerina someday often disappear into the back of our minds as we get older.
For those that want to inspire their children to keep their veterinary dreams alive however, there's actually a really cool online community geared towards children who want to learn about the basics of caring for animals. It's the first ever website of its kind. It features first hand stories from veterinarians about what it's like to go to work every day, videos of actual surgeries taking place (don't worry the footage is PG rated) and interactive games that teach aspiring vets all about the anatomy and science of animals. The site also allows kids a chance to explore activities both in their local area and across North America that keep them trying new things and keep them engaged with animals.
There's also a ton of information that would teach adults a thing or two. Did you know for example that it's possible to perform surgery on a fish? A vet at the Vancouver Aquarium did it once upon a time. And you probably thought being a veterinarian was limited to household pets and zoo animals. Not so!
The community was created not only to educate youth about the veterinary world, but also to make it easier to get the education necessary to become a vet. A portion of all the proceeds generated through the website goes towards sending aspiring vets to school. It's a pretty cool concept that will allow kids to keep on dreaming and also allow parents to get past the idea that it takes just as many years of schooling and tuition to become a veterinarian as it does to become a doctor for humans even though we all know that veterinarians don't earn the same salary as a doctor.
Who knows whether or not my sister would have stuck to her childhood aspirations at such a community existed in the 80s or 90s. Luckily for kids of our current day social media generation, at least there is now. Awesome stuff!