Dan at work.
It’s been a big year in many ways – career changes, getting double boarded and finally stepping up in my commitment to letting my little black sheep dog (Black Sheep’s namesake) make the most of his potential by sending him to Scott Glen for winter herding training…
First, Thank You to the vets who have sent me their wonderful, interesting cases. I hope I can continue to help you develop your treatment plans for your patients! Details of more cool cases will follow in future blogs.
I have learned a bit about the business end of my profession this year, and the importance of loving what you do and surrounding yourself with positive people.
The road to clinpath boards was longer than I expected, but taking the time to really learn the details has paid off. Huge Thank You to the wonderful clinical pathologists at Oregon State and University of Illinois veterinary schools, who let me ask stupid questions and use their resources and their brains.
It seems like my anatomic residency and boards were so long ago, and I guess they were. Some of the knowledge we use every day gets taken for granted. But spending hours upon hours in the literature and case studies in the clinical pathology ‘sister specialty’ and getting to know more of the clinpath gurus was enlightening, especially having an anatomic background.
Dan the dog had a great time at sheep camp. It has brought him out, not only of his social shell, but also given him confidence in his ability to boldly handle situations in herding. He and I continue to work on the team aspect of trialing, mostly me trying to slow him down so I can figure out what moves to make next. But I trust him to think through his work when he is out of my reach – he is probably the most earnest, hard working creature I know.
Dan and I are trying our first pro-novice trial this weekend. Hopefully he won’t jump into the pen with the sheep at the end…