When I tell people that I have an animal science degree, they generally look at me with a puzzled expression.
Many people have no idea what that degree would be used for.
To cut to the chase, it’s basically a pre-veterinary degree. You learn the basics of medicine and biology, and can use it as a jumping-off point to attend medical School, veterinary school, or to continue in the hard Sciences. The next question people generally have is, did you grow up with a dog? I have to laugh. In fact, I grew up with three dogs and five cats. And they were all indoors. When people hear that, they have yet another immediate question. What was the indoor air quality like? Well, then I have to be pretty honest with them. When you have five cats and three dogs, your indoor air quality can fluctuate. There were days that we definitely noticed the number of animals in our home thanks to the stale indoor air and the amount of hair floating in front of our faces. Sometimes, we would hear the air conditioning system turn on and watch clumps of hair catch a ride from the air vent through the room. It was not the most attractive indoor air at times. My mom was generally very good about changing out the air filter, but the pure volume of hair and dander clogged up our HEPA filters pretty quickly. There were some years that the HVAC technician probably spent more time with our family than his own. In hindsight, it was a really funny childhood, but I’m glad that I learned a lot about animals and maintaining your indoor air quality.