Taking care of life in the palms of my hands made me feel powerful, purposeful, and confident. To bring happiness to the most helpless and unfortunate has not only given me the drive to want to work with animals, but has also shown me that to become something, I must do something.
My love of animals came from my old dog named Osito, or “little bear.” He was my best friend, and we would always run around in the grass and snow, talk about our emotions to each other, and play games. He helped me get through my school and home life problems, always giving me hugs when I was feeling down, and even helped with my ADHD since he was always there to give me that attention. One time I was crying over the fact that I lost my favorite toy that my grandfather gave me. It was very special to me because I never had anything like it- a topspin with a little string attached to it. Osito looked at me with a smile and I started to as well.
However, when I turned eight, Osito met his end, dying of old age and heart failure. Without him, I wasn’t the same. I didn’t have a friend to talk to or spend time with, and my friends in school didn’t want to listen to my problems. My parents tried to find my activities to make me forget about my lost friend, like piano and karate, but I wasn’t interested. But after a few years had passed, I finally found something that changed me to this day: working in an animal clinic.
The clinic was very open and grand, and it felt like I was in a huge hospital, but for animals. I was so thrilled to be there and start working that I kept asking the nurses what I could do to assist them to make their lives easier. I even asked them if they needed me to hold the animals so they didn’t move when giving them shots. I quickly made friends with pugs, chow chows and a few other breeds, expressing my first few real moments of happiness since Osito’s death. This caught the attention of my boss, who actually started to grow a bond with me because of my desire to learn. I cleaned up needles, helped the animals calm down, and even got the rare chance to help with some that were giving birth.
Although I experienced these wonderful moments, I also saw animals in stages of sickness and death that made me well up with tears. It was so easy to embrace them when they came into the world, but having to properly bag, bury or discard them showed me at a young age the realities of life. This made me remember the hardships I had as a child from my own dog passing away in front of me.
But this time, I didn’t run away from my problems or become depressed. I embraced the helpless eyes of each animal and understood that I helped each of them to have a happy life before they died. This allowed me to realize that sadness can always be conquered if you put your mind to it. I decided to apply this to my life at school and at home. In school, I was able to earn the honor roll, and I am more responsible at home, cooking and taking care of my brother when my parents need me to,
I spoke to the veterinarians and asked them how they dealt with all the injuries and deaths of these poor animals. They said that everyone has time to experience life, and while for some it is quick, all lives are valuable. I want to do my best to make the lives of animals worthwhile, and also improve myself as I look towards the future.
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