You’re Picking Up Poop Wrong! Pre-Vet Days
Taking care of someone’s animals can be stressful for all parties involved.
The animal may be frightened or annoyed by the new caretaker. The caretaker may in turn be frightened or annoyed by the new animal. And the owner may be frightened, annoyed, frustrated, exasperated, or incensed if the caretaker does not live up to their expectations.
One time, when I was cleaning up after some horses, I was told I was picking up poop the wrong way. Yes, you read that right. Apparently, my years of being a super duper pooper scooper had not taught me this valuable lesson…
*Disclaimer* If you are averse to reading about or envisioning poop, you may want to stop now.
I was shoveling horse feces, as one does. Some horses had made a bunch of green dumplings on the soil, as they do.
Apparently, I had shoveled too much of the soil away with the feces. My idea was: get all the poop out even if it meant taking some soil too. My idea was wrong.
The horse owner, let’s call her Mara, saw me wheeling the load of horse dung away.
UHH, I DON’T THINK SO!
Mara’s shrill voice dashed any hopes I had of a peaceful morning. At least the sun was still shining… somewhere.
YOU PICKED UP TOO MUCH SOIL! IF YOU KEEP THROWING AWAY THE SOIL YOU WILL BUY ME NEW SOIL, IT’S EXPENSIVE! DUMP THAT OUT AND RE-SORT THROUGH IT AND USE THE RIGHT SHOVEL!
Mara had told me that the soil was very valuable. Contrary to my belief, this soil was NOT dirt cheap.
I paused. Bit my tongue. Inhaled to begin my snappy comeback. Exhaled. Bit my tongue again. Tried to collect my pride and moved on.
I dumped my wheelbarrow of manure, grabbed the appropriate shovel (the type that minimizes soil loss), resorted through the horse turds, and imagined better days…
Some years have passed since this memorable incident, and I am actually glad to have worked with Mara, especially with all the turmoil associated with her. I believe I am a better vet student and man because of that experience.
It was my first lesson in how to deal with incredibly difficult people, but definitely not my last. As pre-vet students, we might not be exposed to people like this, or if we do, it is only for a short period of time, say for a class or so. But what happens when we have a client, coworker, or even boss that has to have it “their way or the highway”?
Mara is a highly intelligent, caring, and driven woman, and her brusqueness helped me to not take things personally, which is one of the keys to success in veterinary medicine. Can you imagine a vet who took every bad Yelp ® review personally? In the end, I am thankful that I went through a lot of rough situations with Mara. She taught me to be humble, how to not take things personally, and how to pick up poop the right way.
So, if you run into a very difficult person during your pre-vet journey take a deep breath and smile. They are preparing you to be an awesome veterinarian one day!
Tyler is a second year veterinary student at the Oregon State University. He is passionate about veterinary wellness and spreading wellness through connection and humor. His “Vet School Jokes” book can be found on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Vet-
Instagram: @tylerprimavera
Website/blog: tylerprimavera.com
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