When I first began caring for animals professionally, it was under very different circumstances from my present job. I began my adult career in a private practice veterinary office, first cleaning kennels, and eventually becoming a veterinary technician. If people asked me what I did for a living I had no issues telling them how I took care of people's pets. My job wasn't always glamorous, and I saw my share of dying or neglected pets, but everyone loves a nurse for animals. Then, in 1998, I took these skills and entered a university setting where I didn't get to see puppies and kittens on a daily basis. Instead, I treated mice, rats, pigs, rabbits and nonhuman primates that were part of research studies. Something changed when I entered this professional environment: it felt as if a door closed inside of me, separating me from my ability to be proud of my work. My love of animals hadn't suddenly changed, nor had I lost my skills as a veterinary technician or become some kind of monster of a person. I was still making a difference in the lives of animals, I was still taking great care of animals, and for the first time in my life I was contributing to animal studies that were leading to human trials. Why, then, did I feel bad or ashamed for my profession?
Thinking back, this was because there was a culture around me, telling me to be quiet about what I did. I can't blame my senior colleagues from back then, because it was how they had been taught. We all knew to be quiet about our work because the public doesn't like or understand what we do. I can't recall all the times I was asked, “What do you do?” and when I replied, “I work in animal research” or “I'm a vet tech at the university,” I always received the same response: “Oh, so you torture animals.” I remember hearing this from a girl in pharmacy school, which really shocked me. Did she understand how researchers collected the data she was learning? After so many negative responses I just closed myself off. I still loved what I did, but there was always a conflict inside me.
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