I Knew I Wanted a Career with Pets When? |

Sam stared and said, "You are here to work with animals, to help them feel better. It is time."

I was working for a high end fashion retailer. Arriving one day in a long black skirt with deep slits up both sides, I was recalled into Personnel now known as Human Resources. Unbeknownst to me an extra fashion accessory of tri-colored cat fur was hanging off the derriere. After the cold, disapproving glare wore off I was released back to the sales floor.

?Just making sure I don?t have a hairy butt.? I said to the questioning faces in Customer Service watching me attempt a yogic like upper body reach around to make sure all was clear on the rear.

My lack of Exorcist neck flexibility and notoriously poor timing earned me a double whammy. The personnel lady was trailing behind reminding me that we don?t talk about such things out in public. That was the first day I began to dream about a career working with pets.

Despite the wardrobe malfunction, I was offered a promotion into management several times. Finally, reluctantly, I accepted. In the early honeymoon phase, I was told by superiors that coming in late or leaving early to deal with sick children was an unacceptable excuse to miss work. ?No problem, I don?t have kids? was the verbal response, however mentally I was already planning the cover story for the first time my horse had an injury that needed tending. I really wanted a job where I could be available to my animals whenever needed me. The new dream career seeds were planted that day.

So for a while things were good. There were only a few furry children speed bumps along the way. I was able to fudge the time off to cover the vet visits for the cat with a foxtail protruding from his eye, the pygmy goat that ate a $20 bill, and my beloved Arabian horse with his share of lumps, bumps, chokes and vaccine reactions.

Working in retail is a great experience no matter what job I do next. Or so I kept telling myself. It?s a great foundation for running your own business. Treat your customers like guests in your home, pay attention to details, prioritize your to do lists, follow up and follow through, under promise-over deliver. Still that?wasn?t enough to justify the fabulous, well-discounted wardrobe and the sacrificed holiday season. I felt empty inside. I knew I was supposed to be doing more than this.

Then the call came. My fianc?e?s cat had been hit by a car. He had gone missing for a day, and then returned acting weird. The exam revealed a broken hip and a bad case of road rash. He would need several surgeries, including a false hip joint, multiple skin grafts and a lengthy stay at the hospital. On my next day off we went to visit him together. The nurse carried him to the vet?s personal office, took off his plastic ?cone of shame? and told us to stay as long as we liked.

This stoic gray tabby, after all that he had been through walked right past my fianc?e and marched up to me with this stare that is forever embedded in my mind and heart. I got the message loud and clear. ?You are here to work with animals and help them feel better. It is time.? The seeds were watered with my tears of empathy for this amazing creature and joy that I had the knowing instilled in my heart.

But I was still trying to create from the mind. I am good with people, sales and marketing. Maybe I could be a rep for an animal supply company. I thought for a moment, what products would I like at a discount? Saddles, bridles and riding apparel of course. It all sounded so good until I found out those people are on the road three weeks out of the month, rarely spending time with their own horses.

So I made a list. Many years before The Secret movie came out; I had fun fantasizing about my dream gig. I would work with both animals and people. I would not have to wake up to an alarm clock every day. Travel would be integrated in my work. I had some prior behind the scenes experience in radio and wanted to stay connected to media somehow. Most importantly, I would always be available whenever my animals needed me and then some! And showing up for work with extra tufts of hair would be a fashion do not don?t!

I?couldn?t?imagine a job that fulfilled the list. ?I just want to get paid to love animals!? I exclaimed or maybe demanded. It was such a heart-based truth. I was both drawing the line in the sand and staking a claim to the Universe.

Lo and behold it worked. I meandered through the next two years paying close attention to anything that drew me in from computer and vet classes, to psychic development and alternative healing. I had no idea that I was on the road to becoming a pet psychic and I certainly could not have planned it so perfectly. This was a soul journey guided by my beautiful pets.

So I ask, what are your animals teaching you? What job or role do they play in your life? What could they be encouraging you to do? Would your heart be fulfilled in a career with animals? Would you be interested in volunteering or starting a part-time side business with pets? If you feel the pull in your heart, don?t let your mind or other outside influences talk you out of it. It is the most rewarding work that I have ever done. I take that back, I can?t call it work. I believe if you can tell the difference between work and play, you are doing one of them wrong!

Despite economic woes over the last five years, the pet industry continues to grow by leaps and hops.

According to the 2011-2012 American Pet Products Association National Pet Owners Survey:
? 62% of U.S. households or72.9 million homes have at least one pet

Total Number of Pets in the U.S. in millions:
? Bird 16.2
? Cat 86.4
? Dog 78.2
? Equine 7.9
? Freshwater Fish 151.1
? Saltwater Fish 8.61
? Reptile 13.0
? Small Animal 16.0

Total U.S. Pet Industry Expenditures:
? 2012 $52.87 Estimate
? 2011 $50.96 Actual
? 2010 $48.35
? 2009 $45.5
? 2008 $43.2
? 2007 $41.2
? 2006 $38.5
? 2005 $36.3
? 2004 $34.4
? 2003 $32.4
? 2002 $29.5
? 2001 $28.5

For 2012, the breakdown of the estimated $52.87 billion pet spending in the U.S.:

? Food $20.46 billion
? Supplies/OTC Medicine $12.56 billion
? Vet Care $13.59 billion
? Live animal purchases $2.15 billion
? Pet Services: grooming & boarding $4.11 billion

Can you see yourself here?

Source: http://pets.blogs.sonomapets.com/2128/i-knew-i-wanted-a-career-with-pets-when%E2%80%A6/

ryan leaf ryan leaf luke kuechly brad miller chandler jones peyton hillis carolina panthers