I want to crush your dreams

I love it when kids come to shadow for the day.

And by "love it", I mean I loathe it, of course.

Don't get me wrong - I love the one in ten kids that actually pays attention, asks questions, and shows half an interest in doing anything other than sitting around and asking where all the puppies are.

The remaining majority of veterinary hopefuls tend to quickly lose interest when they realize that the most/all of the day consists of smelly infections/fecals/animals/owners, and nary a puppy or kitten in sight. I can give the middle-school ones a break, but the seniors in high school drive me insane. Even though their little dreams are quickly crushed, they still have x amount of days or hours to complete for their school requirements. While they may be content to spend this time sitting at the front desk contemplating their next career path, we feel obligated to give them something to do - usually this means walking dogs in the kennel. If I'm feeling especially dedicated to the future of our youth, I may try to keep teaching them how to set up fecals - however, after the TENTH repeat of "put poop in tube, add floaty stuff, mix well" fails to stick in their heads, I give up.


The young ones do come in handy, however, when it comes to dealing with difficult clients - no one wants to mean in front of a twelve year-old.