My Job at Petsmart

I think I've alluded to the fact that I used to work at Petsmart. I was a "pet care specialist". I worked there for over a year. I quit for a number of reasons, one of which was that I disagreed with many of the company's policies and my manager's personal policies. I'm not going into those things though; this post is devoted to the positive aspects of when I worked there. (If, for some reason, you want to know the reasons I quit or the things I disagreed with, shoot me an email and I'll happily tell you. I'm just not posting that for the entire world to see.)

I got a job at Petsmart when I got my horse. It was the sole condition (getting a job) that my dad gave me for getting a horse. I had had my eye on the job for a while, submitted the application online more than once, and got tired of waiting for a call. I got a job at a day care and I lasted a whole week before I decided to quit (FYI, if you went to day care as a child and hated it, chances are that your opinions on the day care environment won't change when you get older), but during that week, Petsmart finally called me in for an interview. I went to the interview and I got the job as "pet care specialist".

The job had its ups and downs. I fell in love with the animals too easily. I got aggravated when customers told me they keep 20 goldfish in a 15 gallon aquarium or when they tell me their guinea pig lives in a cage bought at a store and eats only pellets. I discovered I really didn't like hamsters except for dwarf hamsters. I learned that, despite their yucky tail and reputation, rats are super sweet and friendly. I fell in love with a green cheek conure which led to me loving all parrots and getting my Noey. And I learned so, so much.

I got attached to the sick guinea pigs easily, especially one in particular who ended up dying of pneumonia. The only thing that kept me from bringing home some guinea pigs was the fact that my store sold boy guinea pigs and I have girls. Sure, that kept me from bringing home the guinea pigs, but what about that Chinese water dragon or those two African sideneck turtles that stole my heart when I wasn't looking? There was a Chinese water dragon that had rubbed against the glass of his enclosure so much that he rubbed the tip of his nose off. We had to put medicine on it twice daily. He was the first reptile I had ever paid much attention to, and he was awesome. I took him home once he was cleared to go on the sales floor. His name was Ringo. He, unfortunately, is no longer with us, but he taught me a lot.

And then there were the African sidenecks. Oh, I loved those turtles! They were so cute with their smiling faces. There were three of them, and two of them had some shell problems that wouldn't get better. Petsmart has a policy that allows animals that have health problems or disabilities to be adopted instead of bought. The morning my manager informed that we were going to adopt out the two African sidenecks with messed up shells, I texted my mom to inform her that I was bringing home a couple of turtles. Lucy and Jude are the best turtles I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

The job was heartbreaking at times, but joyous at others. When we had an animal that we all particularly liked, it was always nice to see it go to one of our regular customers. But when an animal died unexpectedly, especially one that was well liked, it was hard (as was the case with the only snake I had ever considered buying).

The most rewarding part of the job was how it changed me. I had just finished my freshmen year of college and I had no idea what my major was or what I wanted to do after college. While working at Petsmart, I really got into fish. One thing led to another, and my mom and I ended up buying a nano reef tank from somebody that was moving. After that tank, my mom decided to set up a bigger reef tank, and I figured out just what I wanted to study and do after school--marine biology. It was the corals and all of the little life in the reef that first attracted me. It is fascinating to watch. All the tiny animals that live on reefs that are usually overlooked are amazing. My love for reefs has since grown to encompass much, much more of the life in the ocean, but the reefs are still my favourite.

I can honestly say that, even though I ended up hating it in the long run, if it weren't for my job at Petsmart, I would not be sitting here writing this post because I wouldn't have this blog. I would not own Digby and Lenore, nor would I own Maxwell, Lucy, or Jude. Chances are I wouldn't be planning on studying marine biology because I wouldn't have learned about it if I had never gotten into freshwater fish first. I also learned more about animals than I would have had I never had the job.

So, in a way, I have to thank Petsmart. I hate to have to thank them, but I owe a lot to that job.