During high school, every day on my way to class, I drove past the giant purple sign with Snug Pet Resort emblazoned across it. Perhaps it is because I love the color purple (I do attend University of Washington after all) or the memory of that sign, I decided to apply for a summer job at Snug. The chance to cultivate my love for dogs and other animals was too great to pass up and as Snug was an unusual place in that it combined a large boarding operation with a veterinary practice and an extensive training program, I knew I would get this chance daily.
On my first day I was, unsurprisingly, a little nervous. I had never worked somewhere with such a diverse clientele, and I was worried that I would never get all of the regular clients’ names down or know all of the names of the dogs staying with us. However, once the first dog came in through the doors I knew that Snug was going to be a great place to work, a great place to get my dog (and cat!, although deep down I’m really a dog person) fix, and a great place to receive the animal handling and customer service experience that I would need if I was ever going to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.
Throughout my summer working at Snug, I came to realize that day to day interaction with pets and their clients was what gave me the most satisfaction. Having already worked in a busy small animal veterinary hospital, I did have some idea of my career path. However, I was still on the fence on whether I was going to pursue a career in small animal or equine medicine. Having ridden horses for twelve years, equine medicine was looking very promising as it was what I was familiar with. However, after working at Snug and seeing so many happy dogs come in every day, I understood that there was no way I could pass up the chance to make sure that those dogs stayed happy and healthy. So, at this point I’m planning to focus on small animal veterinary medicine, hopefully with a specialty in orthopedic surgery. My experiences at Snug have been really valuable in helping me to make the right choice.
Thank you!
Melissa A.
