I'm 13 and want to be a vet. I can't find any vets, shelters, etc who take volunteers at my age, any advice?

I have always wanted to be a vet or work with animals, but at 13 all vets, shelters etc either will not take me on or they are in an area i cannot get to easily, i also want to know which yr9/10 options i need to take to get a good career with animals?I'm 13 and want to be a vet. I can't find any vets, shelters, etc who take volunteers at my age, any advice?
get into biology classes for sure. if you don't like biology, then getting to be a vet is not going to go well for you. i don't know about other colleges, but i know at RIT (where i go to school) there's a ';pre-vet option'; when you are in the biology major, specially for people that want to become vets. i'm sure other colleges have similar programs.





the reason many vets/shelters probably won't take you is because of your age only. they figure that at 13 years old, you really aren't that sure of what you want to do, so they don't want to go through all the effort of training you if you aren't going to reliably be there now or in the next few years. plus they're probably wondering how you'd get there when they needed you, and how good you'd be at taking care of the animals. most volunteer programs at shelters mean you have to bathe the animals, generally groom them (combing/brushing and maybe clipping toenails), walk them, help with feeding, clean out their cages and whatnot...it's not just taking the cute puppy for a walk and playing with the kittens and going home. it's actually quite a bit of hard work, and they probably think you'll back out once you know what you have to do. again, at most shelters when you sign on as a volunteer, you have to help with COMPLETE care of the animals, not just the ';fun'; stuff that you want to do.





if you're really seriously interested in becoming a vet, and you REALLY want to wash cats (who hate it usually) and clean up poop in dog cages, and walk big dogs and all that, then try talking to the shelters and vets again. maybe at your age they won't even let you do some of the bigger tasks, like washing and grooming, or maybe they'll only let you walk the little dogs, just so they are sure a big one can't pull away from you or anything. if you are really serious about volunteering, then tell them that, and talk to them about the process of becoming a volunteer, and if your age is a problem for them, then ask when you'll be old enough to become one. honestly, i don't think there's a single shelter out there that wouldn't love to have someone asking when they'll be old enough to help out.





for now, since you're so young, just focus on doing well in school, and specifically getting into biology and excelling in that. once you're mabye 15 or 16, you should be old enough that shelters/vets would agree to let you help out, and plus you'll be more mature and more able to really think if that's what you want to do. i know i always wanted to help at shelters, but the humane society is a 45 minute drive from my house (way to far with the cost of gas!), and the vets by me don't really have a need for volunteers--that's what the techs do.


and hey, when you're older then you can get a job at petsmart or petco or something, so you'll learn a little more about animals, and maybe they'll let you take care of the pets for sale at their stores.





and as a total side-note, i don't know where you live, but you might want to talk to the managers of the petco's and petsmart's around you, and also with local humane societies/shelters and suggest (if they can), that those stores start working with local adoption centers to adopt out cats/dogs from the stores, rather than selling them like they all do. i live just outside rochester, ny, and the petsmart by me in henrietta (town outside of rochester) is the ONLY petsmart in the entire country that works with the local humane society to have adoptable pets rather than just selling pets. in my opinion, it's a way better thing to do than just find a breeder and keep selling. you probably won't get anywhere with that, but see what you can do!





good luck with volunteering and as a future vet!I'm 13 and want to be a vet. I can't find any vets, shelters, etc who take volunteers at my age, any advice?
First of all, at a certain age of all girls, they want to become a vet between the ages of 12 and 13, and many of them have dif ambitions when they are older. Second of all, you are far too young to become a vet. Thirdly, you have to have perfect grades for trying out to become a vet in vet school, and even an A- will make you fail the class. The vet trainers are serious and strict, and you pretty much have to be perfect to make it in.
i am 18 and i wanted to do the same thing at your age so i would sugest to go work at a stable. cleaning stalls feeding and riding horses.





be a dog walker. that would be a good job and u will be working with animals.





at your age there are not many jobs out there that will wont someone so young trust me i would know!
i think it is great tht u want to be a vet at such a young age but i think you should just wait till ur a bit older
because of insurance they can't have you around peoples pets. start by dog sitting or dog walking for working neighbors
The 4-H service (at least here in Texas) has a vet tech program that is geared toward people like you. You get a book and have 5 years (I think) to complete the course work and take the test. At the end of this, if you pass the test, you'll be a certified vet tech. It's not being a veterinarian, but it would be good, real-world experience to see if you really want to pursue veterinary medicine. Some of the older kids in our homeschool group are doing it.





Come to think of it....4-H would be good for you anyway. Even if you don't have acreage, you could do a rabbit, dog or cat project (if your parents let you have a pet.) You learn a lot in 4-H.





The other thing I'd suggest (on top of what everyone else has said) is to get a copy of James Herriot's book All Creatures Great and Small. James Herriot was a vet in England in the 1930s and the book describes his experiences. It's a tough read sometimes. When I was about your age, I wanted to be a vet, too. My step-mother, a nurse, gave me that book. I went into another field, although my family now raises goats and I have to do lots with them (give shots, give medicine, etc.)





Study hard and Good Luck!
If you can't volunteer, ask local vet places if they'll just let you observe. The hospital where I used to work would let younger folks come in and watch what was going on. Insurance/liability/whatever issues meant they couldn't be hands on, but they could see what was happening and ask questions.





Despite what other answers have said, starting early is the key! Build that experience and be sure it's what you want to do.





To another answer: ';Thirdly, you have to have perfect grades for trying out to become a vet in vet school, and even an A- will make you fail the class. The vet trainers are serious and strict, and you pretty much have to be perfect to make it in.';





That's not even close to true. Good grades are important, but not THAT huge. My grades weren't all that great, and I got into vet school on my first try and now have much higher grades here than I did in undergrad. And an ';A- make you fail the class'; is totally off.





It IS competitive and difficult, but total perfection is not required.