Dear all Pet Owners and Frequenters of Veterinary Clinics,

I first got my internship in early October. It's been five months, and for those five months I have been working as a veterinary technician. If you're one of the approximately 62% of people who own a pet, you go to the vet. The backbone of the veterinary clinic? The veterinary technicians.

We're the ones who book appointments, answer the phone, file papers, check you in, check the vitals of your pet and alert the doctor to anything that might be wrong.

We are the ones who face the brunt of angry patients.

And, you know what? I wouldn't trade my job for anything in the world. I love my job. I love seeing the relieved faces of owners whose pets are saved. When an animal meets its guardians after a long recuperation period post-procedure, the joy is clearly visible in both parties. I love meeting new animals, seeing some of the more unique pets like geckos, sugar gliders and snakes.

Watching surgery is another incredible part of the job. Though not for everyone, watching surgery is like an out of body experience.

And, of course, there are the bad days. There are days where no matter what you do, the animal isn't going to live. There are days where you grew attached to an animal, only for it to die. There are distraught owners and miserable experiences.

We're only human after all.

Yes, we know the wait can sometimes feel like forever and you have a million other things to do other than wait for your pet to get checked up. Believe me, we want you to get in and get out as fast as possible. Yelling at us doesn't help, and we always feel bad for the long wait times. Sometimes it gets busy. It happens.

We aren't running a charity. We need to eat too. We understand medical treatment is expensive, but please don't get angry at us if you can't afford treatment. Don't get a pet you can't afford.

Please, do not get a pet you do not know how to take care of. Nothing is more heartbreaking than a pet that dies because it's owner had no idea how to take care of it or neglected it. Animal abuse is inexcusable and will get you reported to the police.

Also, please don't get mad at us if we don't know something or get something wrong. We forget things. We don't know the exact range of weights your breed of dog should be at its age. We don't know exactly how much you should be feeding your 6 week old teacup pig off the top of our head. Give us a moment and we can go look it up or ask the doctor.

Take good care of your pets. They love you unconditionally.

Thanks,

Your friendly veterinary technician