I started college as a biology major, with no clear idea of exactly what I thought I was going to do with it, and vague notions of studying animal behavior in the wild.

After my sophomore year, I switched to nursing. Had I stayed in biology, maybe I would have done wildlife rescue, altho my heart would have probably been constantly in shreds from having to say goodbye all the time. I know I would fall in love with every critter.

I love these stories, too, 3cats! And I love the ones where the animals help humans (or another species) out of a bind, too... I find the animal kingdom to be much more "humane" these days than humanity, for the most part!

I can guarantee the bittersweet sorrow that comes with finding them a new furever home. But then, those who were either too old, too "ugly," or had too many problems still found their furever home with us. I was so proud when a duck and a chicken turned up in my backyard and I actually found a farm with a pond whose owner welcomed them as new residents.

Had one cat for whom I'd found a home who decided he'd much rather stay with us... after returning him to his new home twice, the third trip, the people we found said "Just keep him"... he wants to be here more than anywhere else! I loved that cat like the dickens!

It's been a hard few years for us. We had so many who'd aged about the same that we began losing them once they turned 20+. We lost three in one year. While I was expecting it, it still hurt like hell. One I'd had since she'd been abandoned during a PCS (military move) when she was a kitten. She was 23 when she died... and she was still as small as a kitten.

A german shepherd mix was hit by a car (I think) close to my home and found his way to my yard, of course. I thought she had a broken leg, but the rest of her was okay. After trying to find who owned her, I ended up a letter writing campaign to rescue societies to see if I could find anyone who'd take her and get her the vet care she needed. The Rescue that ended up taking her said it was my email that convinced them; they'd never read such a detailed, caring email about a dog who'd just showed up a few days ago in my yard. And I will *forever* bless the Husky rescue society for taking in the Husky that my Border Collie brought home as a "friend." Man, I've never seen such a high maintenance dog as that in my life! (ROTFLMAO!)

BTW... I got my degree in psychology, with an eye toward being a special ed teacher, or working with autistic kids. I spent one summer with an autistic student down in deep south Texas and knew I'd never have the patience. An internship with the state hospital in TX showed me that I'd never have the heart to continue working with that clientele; I couldn't leave them and their stories behind at the end of the day. I'm sorry they didn't offer these internships earlier in my college career. I ended up making my career with technology, instead... and luckily, I had not only a knack for it, but also a real love for it (at least as it was in the beginning of days, when "information was meant to be free and shared.&quot I did find a way to use my psych degree... came in real handy while managing Help Desks! (gryn)

…active duty tour was 2 years in Japan. The term PCS is well known to me. I brought a cat back with me, and he lived to be 20. I totally adored him, and there was no way I was going to leave him there.