Wet Nose Dirty Paws

One DVM's journey through life with four paws by her side

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Hello! I am a small-animal veterinarian living and figuring out life amidst furry paws in Arizona! Join us for the ride!

  • I’d rather write in dirt

    Wearing her masterpiece

    I have always found ‘starting’ to be the most difficult aspect.

    Starting to write after a long hiatus, starting to work out again after too much time off from the gym, starting over when my life and the choices I’ve made that brought me here are no longer recognizable. 

    Starting is a blank page: clean, full of promise and possibility, unmarked and unruined by my clumsy penmanship and the smudging of my life’s trajectory.

    My blank pages are never alone, never lonely. They’re always accompanied by a shadowy friend, a bogeyman of sorts, an elusive ideal. Perfectionism, that fickle being, chases me round and round and round, tiring me out before I can even put pen to paper.

    It is exhausting being chased by and chasing something that in reality does not exist. Yet it is easier than admitting the underlying fear of failure, of falling short at being good enough in the roles of the many hats worn in day to day life: that of a doctor, a mentor, a student, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a soon-to-be mother.

    This probably isn’t what you thought you’d be reading when you clicked on whatever brought you here today. That’s okay, this isn’t what I thought I would be writing.

    But, I wrote.

    And I’d rather write, stumbling through incorrect grammar and punctuation, meandering about directionless until I find my voice again, than continue to sit still while perfectionism and fear’s marathon of “what if” wear grooves in my mind.

    So let’s count this as our fresh start, mine with writing and yours with whatever may be weighing heavily on your heart. We’ll take it easy, we’ll take it slow. There won’t be any pressure. Forget the clean, blank page. We’re going to be writing in dirt after all.

    -The Dirty Paws Crew

  • The one who started it all..

    Tulip

    Tulip came into my life 11 years ago and didn’t leave any part of who I was untouched. I found her as a young pup at the SPCA of Northern Nevada in Reno and, through a stroke of luck, she became mine. We were both new transplants to the area; I had been in Reno all of a week after finishing up a Master’s program in Philadelphia and she had been plucked from a high-kill shelter out in Lovelock, NV. She was shy, submissive, wary of most people and a total sweetheart. I was fresh out of school, stubbornly stumbling along my journey to becoming a veterinarian, following a vague notion of who and what I thought I wanted to be when I grew up yet having no inkling of how much that was true or how to go about figuring it out. In a desert of uncertainty, she was my anchor and the only piece of my life puzzle at the time that actually fit.

    In many ways, she raised me as much as I raised her. She showed me patience, love, and loyalty. She showed me that sometimes the only way forward is by going off the beaten path. She taught me that life is made up of little steps moving forward, and just as many moving back. She taught me that I am never alone. What I think she might have wanted to teach me most though, is that I am enough as I am.

    It has been 18 months since Tulip passed away. I’ve still yet to go a day without thinking about or missing her. In many ways, I feel like our journey together was cut short, that we were meant for more years of adventuring, cuddling, and exploring life together. I used to tell her that I didn’t know how to do this life without her and, while that sentiment still holds true, day by day our little pack is slowly figuring it out.

    – The Dirty Paws Crew

  • Thing 1 + Thing 2

    Our immediate furry family.

    Lyla, the red raccoon above, came into my life when she was 7 weeks old and sick with parvovirus. She was a Craigslist puppy from Mexico and her previous owners had her for all of two days before she became sick. They could barely afford the office visit much less treatment or hospitalization and thankfully, instead of going ahead with euthanasia, they relinquished her to the veterinary clinic I had ties to. That was close to four years ago. She’s been my shadow ever since, always helicoptering around me in some aspect or waiting right outside whatever door is separating us. A naughty clown to her core, this little girl always has a smile on her face and is ready for mischief at the drop of a dime. She’s the adventure dog I’ve always dreamt about, and together, we’re learning how to relax and be in the moment.

    Ace, is the sweet, well-intentioned walrus right behind her. A gentle giant with a heart of gold, he will Hulk out in a second if he thinks the raccoon is in danger or if he senses fun happening without him. I first met Ace when he was one of the few pups to befriend my heart dog, Tulip, about 5 years ago; but he became mine when he and his dad officially joined our family close to 2 years ago. This sweetie has beat cancer and is now undergoing treatment for Valley Fever. He’s quickly catching on to the adventuring lifestyle and nothing beats his goofy smile when he’s out in nature having a good time.

    These two ruffians run our household and, truth be told, our world in many ways.

    We can’t wait to share our adventures with you all.

    – The Dirty Paws Crew

  • Hello World!

    Hey guys, thanks for taking a moment to check in on us! My name is Patricia and I’m a small animal relief veterinarian currently living life in Arizona, hopping from clinic to clinic and trying to help whatever furry critter comes my way. Like most other veterinarians, I have always loved animals. I take immense joy in doing my best to leave each patient healthier than when they first came to me and in helping to strengthen the human-animal bond that you share with your fuzzy one. However, I am six years out of school and have hit a wall – a little bit of burnout, a little bit of professional fatigue, and a healthy dose of existential crisis. While I’m currently at a bit of a crossroads, I have two wonderful pups at my side that can always pull me back to focus on the big picture in life and the things that matter most: getting outside, taking in all the smells and sights, living in the moment and, certainly not last or least, getting our paws dirty. Thank you for coming on our journey with us, we look forward to getting to know you!

    Lyla
    Ace

    – The Dirty Paws Crew