Lots has been going on lately. I have had the hardest time getting back in the swing of things since Spring Break, which means I made a couple of poor grades on tests. I'm not very happy about that but all I can do is do well on this last round and hope the previous round didn't ruin the good things I had going.
School aside, things are going well! I've picked a puppy - a little red merle female who is coming to me from Idaho. I'm purchasing her from an old ranch breeder who has been around since the makings of the breed, since before the AKC recognized Australian Shepherds as a breed and before ASCA (the Australian Shepherd Club of America) even existed! I'm excited, to say the least! She should be a good little pup, ready to come work. I really hope that we excel in search and rescue but only time will tell! I will post pictures of her when I update next - hopefully I will have received more than the one that I have right now by then.
Lately, I have been considering my future career. I have always wanted to go to Vet School, since I was a little kid. But maybe that's because you are conditioned to believe that the only thing people who like animals do for a job is be a Vet...then later you learn that you can chase them around with cameras too. All lame jokes aside, I have always had a particular interest, fascination, and maybe even a gift, if you will, in our canid counterparts and particularly in their behavior. It was recently suggested to me by a friend that perhaps I should consider a career in canine behavior. I scoffed at first...then asked myself what was I scoffing for? Isn't canine behavior what makes me tick? Don't I find myself at peace when I'm out walking through the woods with friends and a pack of dogs, all coexisting peacefully? Don't I love to see an owner marvel as their dog does something they were previously convinced he just simply could not do? I realized that I scoffed because I am afraid that I would not succeed in the field of canine behavior. Why? I'm not really sure. But I know one thing, I need to get over that and real quick! So now I am really giving this some serious consideration. I set up an appointment to chat with a Behaviorist I know and respect back home this weekend...so we'll see where my mind is after Sunday. Until then, I'll just be pondering and praying...praying and pondering.
