03/09/2023
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Have you ever changed your career? If you havenβt, would you like to? If you are a career changer, do you have a pet? Hereβs the larger questionβ¦What do Career Changers and Pets have in common? To be perfectly honest, if I was you Iβd be wondering the exact same thing. So here goesβ¦
This is a page dedicated to change, love, possibilities, and the joy of animals. I, for one, am quite tired of the constant flow of awful news. I dislike turning on the TV and seeing talking heads and revolving stories of mayhem and sadness. Iβm tired of politics, war, and golf. Yes, I have strong civic opinions, but this is not the space for that. I am creating a new experiment, a page dedicated to the stories of everyday people, pets and their extraordinary intertwined lives.
Secret: Iβve fairly recently changed careers and I adore animals, so Iβm going to write about the relevant things in my life, and perhaps they will be relevant, or at least interesting to you too. Background: I am a journalist by training, and a career counselor/navigator by profession, so am interested in featuring other career changers regarding their choices and decisions and what animals mean in their lives. Letβs face it, a blog about only my life would become old and incredibly boring in no time.
When I come home, my two dogs (and more recently, two cats) are thrilled to see me. They greet me with, (in no particular order), tails wagging, tongues flapping, loud purring, leaping, head bumping, and underfoot everywhere. They want my attention. I donβt have that effect on anyone else!
These are my animals: Ruby and Milo are Hungarian Viszlas, which makes them more bouncy and waggy than a lot of other dog breeds. They are also known as βvelcro dogsβ because they literally attach themselves to you. The good news for me is, when I see my animals, I morph from grumpy to human in two seconds. Clegg, my huge fluffy gray kitten is a Natural Nebelung (yes you read that correctly), and Benny, age five, is a Tuxedo cat.
Hereβs some Viszla info:
https://www.google.com/search?q=vizsla+information+and+facts&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS769US770&oq=viszla+information&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.18246j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Hereβs some Nebelung info:
https://www.thesprucepets.com/nebelung-cat-breed-profile-4770585
Hereβs some Tuxedo info:
https://www.thesprucepets.com/about-tuxedo-cats-554695
There are many Viszla websites and FB pages featuring energetic owners and their dogs. Those who know me will attest I am not the most peppy person on the planet. Maybe not even the most energetic person in my house! So what am I doing with two Viszlas? Letβs say, life happens!
When I encountered Ruby, she was living with a friend who could not keep her anymore. At the time, I had two old Bichons, sweet fluffy bundles of white fur. When my friend offered up this semi-crazed 63 lb. rust-colored leaping dog, I didnβt think long and hard. Ruby was beautiful and clearly needed a new home. She seemed to like me, who was I to say NO? My husband was not amused when Ruby made her ungainly and dramatic debut that evening by bounding onto his lap.
Now that Iβm a bona-fide career counselor, I recognize that my impulsive acquisition of Ruby and her brother-from-another-mother, Milo, fits my personality type. I can act and react in the moment. As a career changer, Iβm also my own best test subject: editing and updated my own resume, surfing social media sites, and also self-testing my personality type in preparation for professional endeavors. I know spur-of-the-moment moments have often heralded my most meaningful life-experiences. That said, itβs recommended to prepare for a new dog more thoroughly than I did, especially a breed as high-energy as a Viszla. Luckily for us, Ruby calmed down and finally stopped chewing channel changers.
This brings me to the acquisition of two cats. One word explains my decision. MICE!! Suddenly, there they wereβ¦long-tailed rodents scampering past the bathroom door, hiding behind cabinets, and dancing on countertops in my KITCHEN. It all became too much. Pest Control took up residence (or so it seemed), but to no avail. My sister said, βget a catβ. It made so much sense, and so, I did. Now, we have two. The first, a Tuxie, named βBennyβ by our six-year-old grandson, took it upon himself to bring all this untoward rodent activity to a screeching halt.
Benny, a five-year-old bone-skinny cat, accomplished in two days what Pest Control could not do in months. He slid around corners like a Samuri warrior, claws bared, he hissed. He stalked. Benny is my hero. Benny finally caught one particularly resilient critter we had come to call βJulius Cheeser, β and rid our house of rodents and from that time to this. I have not seen one mouse dropping. To celebrate, I brought in Clegg, adopted from SOS rescue in Georgia. He was a 6 month ball of fluff I later learned is called a Natural Nebelung. Clegg, named after the late great Johnny Clegg, one of my favorite musicians, arrived in our house to torment Benny and follow me around. Clegg thinks he is a dog.
Song by Johnny Clegg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGS7SpI7obY
Do I regret the madcap decision to bring Ruby and Milo into my world. Not for a second. I get to visit dog parks, meet dog people, and relax. I love the fact, too, that we have cats and dogs. In a world of conflict, these animals are learning to live together. They get on pretty well, all things considered, with not much planning involved. Ours is a busy household, with lots of funny moments. My children are now grown and doing adult stuff. Even when the children are home visiting and I walk through the door, no-one jumps up-and-down with sustained and unbridled joy. No-one but my pets.
They are always thrilled to see me, even when I've only been gone for 10 minutes. That, I believe has changed my soul.
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If you have a Career Change and Pet story to share, or know someone you would recommend I interview in this space, please let me know. Stay tuned for more mad-cap, tender, interesting, and above-all βrealβ adventures in Career Changers 'n Petsβ¦.
Career Changers 'n Pets
email: [email protected]
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