Laura Driscoll - I Want to Be a Veterinarian

Dad and I are waiting to see
the veterinarian or animal doctor.

We brought our dog, Gus.
It is time for his checkup.

Soon Dr. Wells calls us
into the exam room.
She weighs Gus.

Dr. Wells looks into his eyes,
nose, and mouth.
She listens to his heart.

Gus is one healthy dog!
Dr. Wells says.
She is a great vet.
She is so friendly and gentle.
I wish I could be a vet, I tell her.
I love animals.
But I am allergic to cats.

Dr. Wells smiles.
You dont have to be a pet vet,
she says.
There are many other kinds.

Could it be? I ask Gus
on the way home.
Could I be a vet?

The next day,
I am at my riding lesson.

I see a man
wrapping a horses ankle.
Are you a vet? I ask him.

Yes! the man says.
I am a large- animal vet.
His patients are horses, pigs,
goats, and more!

Hmm, I think.
I am not allergic
to any of those!

On a class trip,
I see another type of vet.
We are at the aquarium.
There is a diver
in one of the tanks.

She is an aquatic vet,
my teacher tells us.
She is feeding the fish.

Later, the vet
is at the touch tank.
She answers all our questions
about ocean life.

Over the summer,
my family visits a national park.
In the park is a wildlife rescue center.
Its like a hospital for wild animals
who are hurt or sick.

The vets here are called
wildlife veterinarians.
They treat and care for the birds
until they are well again.

Then they release the birds
back into the wild.
This is the best part
of my job, the vet says.

In the fall, my scout troop
visits a dairy farm.
It is a large farm with many cows.
We meet a dairy- cow vet.

I test them for disease, she says,
and make sure they get good food.
Healthy cows make lots of good milk.

We get to taste some milk.
Mmmmm.
These cows must be
very healthy.

I learn so much about vets.
I learn there are vets
who work outside.
Other vets work inside in a lab.
They study animal health.

Some vets work in schools.
They teach others
who will become vets.

Some vets work in
big, busy animal hospitals.

And some vets have
their own small offices
like Dr. Wells.

I see her again
at Guss next checkup.
I tell her all I have learned.

So what kind of vet
do you want to be?
Dr. Wells asks me.
I think it over.
Then achoo!

The cat next to me