Each day, American Humane has the opportunity to work with some of the top names in the veterinary field, including American Humane’s Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Kwane Stewart and Rescue Veterinarian Dr. Lesa Staubus. Today on World Veterinary Day, we are celebrating these professionals and their incredible work. Below they give us a peek inside what spurred their desire to work with animals in a special guest blog post.

By: Kwane Stewart, DVM

Every vet has his or her “moment” I believe that carved out their path to becoming a vet. For some we forget, others we remember. For me, it happened over the span of two hours. The length of a movie. The moment is imprinted in my mind…

At seven my mother took me to see a movie about a horse. The thought seemed ordinary to me; little did I know it would shape the rest of my future. I sat glued to the screen (which isn’t easy for a child), laughing and crying. I loved every moment of it. As we walked out of the theater I remember looking up at her as she held my hand and said: “When I grow up I want to be an animal doctor!”. She said from that moment on I wouldn’t talk about anything else. I took a deeper interest in school, animals, and biology and it grew from there. I’m not sure what it is exactly about the movie that was so inspiring to me – the relationship between the horse and the boy, or maybe when the horse when injured and needed care, but it stuck. The movie was The Black Stallion.

By: Lesa Staubus, DVM

When I was a child, my family rarely utilized a veterinarian. I think rabies vaccination was all our pets ever received in vet care, yet somehow I was convinced I would be a vet since very young.

Maybe it was from my love of all things alive and natural, or maybe it was watching animal shows, maybe it was from ditching elementary school to assist our cat in the birth of her kittens, but somehow the seed was planted very early.  In sixth grade, I wrote an essay about how I was going be a vet.  I found this essay in my mother’s attic during my college years but had completely forgotten that my desire for this profession went back so far.

Over what has now been almost thirty years, I have experienced many sides of the veterinary profession.  From small animal general practice, to vet school faculty member, to rescue veterinarian with American Humane, the diversity of jobs available for me as a veterinarian has been so rewarding.  The common thread that runs through it all is celebrating and supporting the bond that exists between us and our animals.  Our need for our pets is equal to their need for us, and how we treat them is a direct reflection of how we treat each other.

For me, the love of pets is woven together with the love of the people that love them.