Animal People

I'm reading a fabulous book titled, "Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched: Life Lessons at the World's Premier School for Exotic Animal Training". If you haven't read it and want a small glimpse into what my work life is like, I suggest you go get it. It is a GREAT book! Anyways, I just read the chapter "Animal People". It talks about how so many people that choose to work with animals consider themselves "animal people"- they think about animals all day, they are hard workers, when they were kids they would volunteer to be the dog while playing house with other kids, etc. It also talks about the fact that most animal people are horrid at dealing with people. So TRUE!!!!

Here are a few of my favorites lines from the chapter and again yet another glimpse into what my work life is like...

-some animal people don't communicate well with people so take refuge in the animal kingdom
-animal people are generally opinionated and competitive
-they can be quick to criticize one another for everything, from how someone keeps her compound to training techniques
-animal training builds egos and that ego gets the better of some people
-they are forever gauging who is the most devoted
-everyone notices when someone takes a vacation or spends time with a boyfriend on the weekend
-before too long animal people may be on the endangered species list- working with animals is less and less a safe haven for misanthropes and introverts- zookeepers are now expected to set down their rakes and talk to the public
-animal people have to learn how to speak in public and work as a team
-ANIMAL PEOPLE NEED TO BE PEOPLE PEOPLE

Love this book.