CHANGE OF DIRECTION

January 2016 has taken me in a new direction, I have known for some time that i had lost interest within textiles and began to detest my hobbies within crafts. I can't remember the last time i picked up my knitting needles or made a garment from scratch. I recently made a massively, scary decision to defer my placement at university for a year whilst i figure out what to do with myself.

My reason behind deferring uni is because i have keen interest within animal care and i feel the urge to tick a few goals off my list for this year, such as driving and moving house. I have always been torn between arts and animal care. At college i applied to do a diploma in animal care and a diploma in art and design. I took the art pathway and that lead me to university (which i am massively grateful for as it gave me a reason to move away from home and taught me how to live independently). I feel that now is the perfect time to try another option which leads to animal care.

Throughout my childhood i have had a whole range of pets and i constantly pestered my parents to let me feed the strays on the streets and rescue more. I even researched into my pets behaviours and their care, to convince my parents that i was responsible enough to be a pet owner. I devoted my childhood to caring for my pets, i even went as far as walking my house rabbit on the beach and boy, Smokey loved digging it up! I love to watch animal documentaries on Animal Planet such as Animal Cops, The Blue Planet, Dogs 101, to name a few! I also like to read books about animal breeds, training, behaviour and their health. For work experience back a few years back i volunteered at a cattery called Snuggle Puss in Filey and loved every minute of it. I don't know why i didn't pursue this further at college.

I have this belief that, if i can make a difference for the better, then i will. I am known for taking injured birds such as seagulls to the vets or care for them myself. Folk see them as a nuisance, to a point i can understand but i have also witnessed cars purposely drive over them and this breaks my heart. A few months ago Adam and i noticed a wild rat crawling away from some magpies that had attacked it on our driveway. The damaged had already been done and it was dying but i couldn't bare to watch anymore so i immediately ran out and gathered the poor mite into a shoe box, wrapped it up in a blanket and placed it in a quiet area. Sadly, it passed away that night. I imagine that my friends and family think i'm crazy but its an instinct that i cannot ignore.

Steering back to the point of this post... I consider myself a caring person and because of my interests, skills and experience i feel that i could pursue a happy and rewarding career within the animal sector. Whether that be as a Cattery Socialiser, Animal Care Supervisor or even a Veterinary Nurse!

I have been applying for volunteer vacancies at Dogs Trust, RSPCA, PDSA, local farms and vets. I have done my research on Veterinary Nurse and animal care courses at colleges/universities and I plan on attending open days within the next couple of months. Because i am not certain of the sector i would like to purse, i hope to gain experience working with different animals, within different environments before i take another huge leap and commit.

I hope that biting the bullet will pay off and that something good will come my way!? For now, i am dreaming about future possibilities.