Jamie
How did I end up working with laboratory animals? By accident!
However, I stayed because I LOVE all animals and it is THE
BEST feeling knowing I am making a positive difference in their lives!
But am getting ahead of myself…
So, let’s start at the beginning. As far back as I can remember I was fascinated with animals. I had my fair share of pets as a child; cats and dogs, rats, gerbils, even the occasional lizard or snake. Besides my pets, I loved wild animals. I’d spend as much time outside in the woods, pastures, and fields around where I grew up watching all the animals. And if this wasn’t enough, I come in time to watch “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” or any other show that had animals. My favorite past times were camping, going to zoos and nature centers- anything that would get me around animals. My family was convinced that I was going to become a veterinarian.
As with most young girls, I grew enamored with horses, especially Arabians! I rode every horse I could get my hands on! I read everything about them; from their history, horse genetics, breeding, health issues, and training. Then on my 16th birthday I was given a choice between a car and a horse. No contest! I finally got an Arabian of my own!
I was always told this love for horses was a phase, and I’d out grow it. Well, I didn’t. In fact, I had made up my mind to go to Texas A&M University strictly based on the fact that they had an equine program. So there I was taking classes to prepare me for a future working with horses.
I thought to myself that I should get a job working with horses, or at least some kind of animal, to help build my resume and hopefully make me more hirable in the future. So there I was at the campus board where all the student jobs were posted. Wouldn’t you know it, the only “animal job” available was at the cleaning cages of laboratory animals at the animal facility on campus .
Now, as a child, I cannot say I had the best of impressions of labs that used animals. One of my favorite shows was “The Secret of NIHM”. If you have ever seen it, then you will understand that my head had been filled of visions of beagle puppies, monkeys, bunnies, rats, and mice looking oh-so-sad in their cages while people did unspeakable things to them. I used to say that I would NEVER work with laboratory animals!
Well there I was at the cross roads. What I used to think and say as a child was still strongly ingrained in me. Why would I want to work at a place where I was certain they were going to hurt the very animals I loved? Yet, as a young adult I could admit there were tasks I needed to do to help me accomplish my future dreams- working with horses- and getting a job with animals was one of those tasks. If working with lab animals was the only job available, then all childish thoughts aside, I was going to do it!
Funny how life has its twists and turns….
I took the job! What I found was a whole other world
opened up to me! There were not any “oh-so-sad animals” awaiting torture!
Instead I found all the animals were very happy. I found people that went to
great lengths to make sure they were given all they needed, not just a clean
place to live and food and water to survive, but also toys, enrichment, and
LOVE! If an animal was ever sick there were people who were immediately there
to take care of it! The
facility was not a dirty dungeon, but instead was clean, bright, and airy.
I got to work with so many different kinds of animals; mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, cats, dogs, bats, and monkeys. In addition I even began to volunteer at a wildlife an exotic center to learn about even more types of animals; ostrich, emus, lions, antelope, deer, lamas, and many more!
Now during this time I was presented a problem. I was passionate about the work I was doing with the lab animals! So much that no longer did I want to work with horses full time. I stilled loved horses, and they would always be a part of life, but as a hobby. I wanted to work with lab animals all the way! But, I wasn’t even certain that this was a real career choice, after all, I was just a student worker. I didn’t even know there were other lab animal facilities out there, and if so- where? Well, you can be certain that this mid-stream career shift freaked my family out, especially when I told them I wasn’t at all certain where I could work. All the way up to my graduation my family was asking me what I was going to do with my life and I would wail (yes-wail) at them that I did not know!
So I questioned the people I worked with. “Is this a real career?” I would ask, “Can I do this for a living?” Sure! Was the resounding answer! They told me about other lab animal facilities all over the world! I couldn’t wait!
I graduated from college with a BS in Animal Science and got a job working for a local cancer center. I got involved in both my local and the national level of the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS). I went on and got both my Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT) and my Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG) certification from AALAS. I learned all I could from whomever was willing to teach me. I worked hard and applied the skills I learned, always wanting to improve myself so the care I gave the animals was the best it could be. Now I am a Manager!
At this time, after having worked with laboratory animals for 14 years I can without a doubt say that I LOVE what I do, I love the animals, I love the difference that I make not only in the lives of the animals, but also the people or other animals those animals are eventually helping. I have never looked back!