A recent blog homework topic from @missy @rambo and @charmaine was to tell you the geekiest thing about us.
I'm an animal geek. Honestly sometimes animals make me so happy I nearly cry. That's how much I love them.
I'm currently in my final year of my Conservation & Wildlife Biology and only just really realising how much I've learnt in the last 3 years. I've done all these different units and changed degrees three times and now I can see how its all relevant to each other. This has enabled me to understand so much more about animals and I'm excited about it again.
I find all animals fascinating, I tend to get obssessed on one path for a while until I feel I have a good understanding and something else sparks my interest. Seeing animals I've never seen, or favourite natives in the wild make me so happy. Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are my spirit animal, hence the feather on my back, and even though they are rare I'll see them or at least hear them every day, and when I do it instantly makes me feel so good and content inside.
I've worked a lot with livestock and studied a bit of low stress stock handling and farm animals will always have a special place in my heart. I think they are so underappreciated as beings because they provide foo . I've rehabilitated wildlife. I love learning about sea mammals and manta rays are one of my favourite animals ever. After adopting stimsons python Damsel a few weeks ago, I've been promoted into reptiles and I'm really enjoying learning how to take care of animals which I've had hardly any experience handling and very little prior knowledge. Its still a bit daunting handling the larger carpet pythons but I'm starting to understand their behaviour.
But the animal I am the geekiest over... Dogs of course!
I love all breeds all sizes but mixed breeds are my favourite. I'm the first to pat a dog if I run into one in the street, especially if its a puppy. And if your dog kisses my face the first time it meets me its totally fine. Most dogs like me too, and if one doesn't I tend to get really butt hurt and try and get it to come round.
My first job when I moved to the city was working in a boarding kennel. I'd always loved dogs, but in the two years I was there I loved so many dogs. It felt like such a privilege to go to work every day and make sure each dog was happy and healthy. It wasn't all lovely, there's a lot of shit involved. And sometimes it was really sad. It wasn't a rescue shelter, but that doesn't mean people always returned for their animals. And caring for dogs who weren't looked after then sending them home. I still remember so many of the dogs I befriended and have been lucky enough to see some again. We also had Great Dane give birth to 10 puppies in our care which was pretty special. The place ended up being sold to a breeder and the way their dogs lived in kennels (concrete yards) all day every day broke my heart. These people have a fantastic reputation and breed beautiful dogs but those dogs didn't have a life. And there was nothing I could do because the law says those conditions are fine. This was when I really knew I had to make a difference somehow. Working in a pet store that sells puppies is kind of killing me but I can't go into that now.
Me covered in great dane puppies with a rottweiler puppy kissing my foot! About 4 years ago. When I go through all my old photos from this time in my life every photo is a different dog or me with a different dog.
This is my current favourite puppy at work, his name is Boston and he's wonderful.
I'm not sure how I'm going to take this geekiness and passion to help dogs and use it just yet, but I've got a while to figure it out. I'm hoping to complete honors in dog behavior next year but I could think of something else before then.
Lots of love
Sunflower
xxx
