Nurses, 12-Hour Shifts, And The Pets Who Love Us

Long shifts, leashes, and a lot of love. We open up about what it really takes to be a nurse and a pet parent, from the 12-hour stretch to the 2 a.m. vet run, and why a wagging tail can still turn the worst shift into a decent day. This conversation gets practical—how night shift routines can help puppies settle, why “a tired dog is a well-behaved dog” actually works, and how crates, enrichment, and pet cams reduce chaos when you’re not home. We also get real about the money side: insurance vs building a savings buffer, senior checkups, and budgeting for the surprise Tuesday night emergency.

Travel is another puzzle we solve out loud. We compare boarding, trusted sitters, and taking your pet along—what it costs, how it affects your itinerary, and when bringing them adds joy versus anxiety. City weekends and museum marathons? Probably a sitter. A cabin, trails, and campfires? That’s a dog’s dream. Along the way we trade wins and woes (chewed remotes, GI flares, and the occasional crate confession), plus the deep connection that grows as pets age and our caregiving shifts. It’s honest, a little messy, and fully worth it.

We also talk mental health and motivation: how pets push us outside, how therapy dogs transform hospital hallways, and how pet photos can build instant rapport with patients. Different philosophies welcomed—whether you see your pet as your child or your companion, we focus on clear routines, realistic planning, and a supportive community that keeps everyone safe and seen. If you’re juggling nursing life with fur, feathers, or scales, you’ll leave with ideas you can use tonight.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a nurse-pet parent you love, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find us. Then tag your pet photos with #nursinglyfepets—we want to meet your co-worker at home.

Chapters

• 0:00 Pets And Nursing Life Setup
• 1:52 The 12-Hour Shift Guilt
• 4:20 Puppyhood, Night Shift, And Training
• 8:35 Safety, Sleep Deprivation, And Routines
• 12:00 Day Shift Guilt And Dog Behavior
• 15:05 Vet Emergencies And Community Support
• 19:05 Pet Insurance Vs Savings
• 22:05 Travel Plans, Boarding, And Sitters
• 26:12 Bringing Pets On Trips: Pros And Cons
• 30:05 Nursing Wins And Woes: Chewing And GI Issues
• 34:40 The Deep Bond And Aging Pets
• 39:00 Mental Health, Exercise, And Therapy Dogs
• 43:00 Boundaries, Bed Rules, And Different Philosophies
• 47:10 Other Pets, Exotic Choices, And Fun Facts
• 51:30 Takeaways, Social CTA, And Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Hello, and welcome back to Nursing Life 101. We're so glad you're here with us as we continue season two. We're diving into the world of nursing with stories, laughs, and maybe a little chaos along the way. I'm Christopher.

SPEAKER_05: 0:12

And I'm Colby. Together, we're here to talk about all things nursing: the good, the bad, and the fur covered.

SPEAKER_01: 0:19

Fur covered. That's right. Today we're talking about the real MVPs of our household, our pets.

SPEAKER_05: 0:26

Whether you're a dog lover, a cat person, or a proud reptile parent, this one is for you.

SPEAKER_01: 0:32

From long shifts to travel guilt and the pure joy of those welcome home cuddles. This episode is all about life as a nurse and a pet parent. We both have pets.

SPEAKER_05: 1:11

We do. We both have dogs, which are argu arguably kind of the harder pet to take care of as far as like social needs.

SPEAKER_01: 1:19

Oh, yeah, 100%. I was like, what do you what do you think?

SPEAKER_05: 1:22

Oh yeah, no, a reptile could definitely be harder, but I just mean like as far as like um attention requirements. Definitely arguably with some of the harder, harder pets.

SPEAKER_01: 1:33

Yeah, you're right. 100%. And it's it's probably one of the biggest negatives for a pet. And I mean, we might as well talk about the negatives first so that we can get them out of the way and talk about the positives at the end.

SPEAKER_05: 1:47

Sure.

SPEAKER_01: 1:48

So um the 12-hour struggle.

SPEAKER_05: 1:52

The 12-hour struggle, meaning our 12-hour shifts that we most commonly work.

SPEAKER_01: 1:56

Oh yeah, most commonly. Well yes. Once again, most commonly, that will change for someone. I'm not saying names.

SPEAKER_05: 2:06

Exactly. We're not talking about that this episode because that's for a future topic.

SPEAKER_01: 2:10

It is. It's like episode three, I'm pretty sure.

SPEAKER_05: 2:13

Next week. I said it was foreshadowing.

SPEAKER_01: 2:16

It is episode three. Okay, I'm right.

SPEAKER_05: 2:17

It is.

unknown: 2:18

I looked early.

SPEAKER_05: 2:20

But yeah, the guilt of leaving your pets home alone for 12 plus hours.

SPEAKER_01: 2:26

You got trout when he was young too, but he was a puppy puppy.

SPEAKER_05: 2:30

Yeah, I got trout when he was old enough to be taken away from his mom. Right. So I've had him his entire life, and he will be nine this year. I think it's so tricky. It was a really hard decision to make. And like I had been wanting a dog for a long time, and I had been in my nursing career for oh probably over three years or about three years when I got him.

SPEAKER_01: 2:53

Okay. So you were seasoned.

SPEAKER_05: 2:54

I was, yeah, I was I was seasoned enough. Um it it I was in a good place at that time. I had a I was with a partner and um we were working opposite schedules. So I was working night shift. They worked normal days Monday through Friday. And so it would just felt like a good time to commit, good time to commit the time to getting a puppy who needs somebody with them pretty much every hour of the day. Um and it was probably the hardest time of my life. Like, and I I it's the closest thing that I so far that I've ever the closest thing to being a parent that I've ever um been been to. And um it felt like I had a newborn baby because I had a newborn puppy and I was working night shift, but I wasn't sleeping at all because during the day he wanted to play. And so you put him in a crate and they just cry and whine until you take them out. So I was like constantly going outside and sleeping like one hour blocks the first few weeks. It was terrible. Um and like, you know, you just you you need to create a routine with them. And it was it was not a routine. It wasn't there was no well, I mean, uh there was a routine for him, but my routine was suffering, absolutely suffering, which is pretty scary looking back on it. That I'm like working. I were at the time when I got him, I worked, I lived like an hour away from the hospital and I was working, you know, 12-hour overnight shifts, so 7p to 7A. And so I would was sleeping maybe a collective four hours and like one hour blocks and driving to work and coming home. And I remember I'd have to like sometimes pull over at the gas station and take like a 15-minute nap.

SPEAKER_03: 4:45

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_05: 4:46

Because I was like nodding off driving home on a straight stretcher road for an hour. So bad. It was so hard.

SPEAKER_00: 4:56

The straight stretch, the the the the extension of your arm to say straight stretch.

SPEAKER_05: 5:03

It was just straight. It was terrible. And it was before, I will say this, it was before cruise control was widely common in cars that like did self-breaking. Like it was like you can set cruise control, but you had to break yourself, it didn't do its own spacing behind. Yeah, like it was back in the day before that was like a wide, a widely had feature.

SPEAKER_03: 5:27

So, you know, you had to stay alert.

SPEAKER_05: 5:30

I was not alert or oriented.

SPEAKER_01: 5:34

Not the orientation. So I mean, but it's true, like I also got Roman when he was uh at the age where he could be taken away from his mother. And I mean, I remember I literally had him, I had a little like play pen because I we I lived in an apartment at the time, which also had carpet. When I was like, I'm not I I want my deposits. Thank you. I was like searching for the word. The deposit back. And I was like, uh you cannot pee on this carpet. You just can't do that. And so I had I remember I went to Walmart and got like a a really really cheap rug, uh-huh. Like the five dollar one. And then I had that rug. I had under it, under the rug, I had a tarp.

SPEAKER_05: 6:30

Oh, that was smart. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 6:32

Because I was like, it will still go through. I know. I know a little bit.

SPEAKER_05: 6:36

How things work.

SPEAKER_01: 6:37

And then on top of that, um, I had a fake grass like pea pad thing.

SPEAKER_05: 6:45

Oh, you were fake.

SPEAKER_01: 6:46

Oh, I was set up. I was set up. And then I had a whole it was like a child play pen that he could be in.

SPEAKER_05: 6:55

Run around in, yeah. Did you leave him in that when you went to work?

SPEAKER_01: 6:59

No.

SPEAKER_05: 7:00

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01: 7:00

Yeah, he went back to his crate. And as both of us have bigger dogs, they're both labs, yeah. They grew. So like he had a very small crate to begin with, but now has this massive crate now. And I just remember having to I mean, I I either gave away or sold away, I can't remember which one. His his smaller ones because I didn't need them anymore.

SPEAKER_05: 7:26

Yeah, yeah. I had to do the same thing and gave away his crate, his smaller puppy crate, and yeah, now he has a massive one. But but yeah, I think one of the uh one thing that benefited me when I was raising trout in puppyhood was that I did work night shifts. So eventually, um when it was just me and him, um, alo like I was single parenting, I would leave at night. And so he would go to sleep at night. So it's kind of like natural. And we got we got into a routine when I was working night shift. I'd, you know, get home from work, we'd do a nice long walk, he'd get breakfast, and then I would go to sleep. And then he would wake me up twice a day. Like this is like, you know, in our first like after after about a year, this was our routine. Wake me up twice a day. We'd get up at like 10 between 10 and 12 and go out for a quick potty, and then I would get up like officially at like 3 p.m. And then I'd be up for my day. Like, you know, we'd go for a nice long walk, lots of exercise, lots of training to, you know, wear his little brain out, and then I would get ready to go to work and you know, work my night shift, and he would be fine throughout the night.

SPEAKER_01: 8:34

How much training did you do?

SPEAKER_05: 8:36

Oh, we did a lot of training.

SPEAKER_01: 8:37

Sorry, that's not saying that Charlie does not train. He is very much trained.

SPEAKER_05: 8:41

That was a very skeptical very skeptical question. We did a lot of training, actually. Um, when he was a puppy, I mean, we did a lot. The best advice I ever got, and I will, you know, I will, you know, bequeath this and this advice to all of our listeners, is that uh a well-behaved dog is a tired dog. And I got that advice because I was losing my mind when he was like probably six, six to eight months old in that terrible teenage phase of puppyhood. And um, I posted a picture of him and I was like, I need help because he's like great. But like in typical lab fashion, at that time he had just barely started eating, like he ate like the heel off of a shoe, and um he ate a work shoe that was like brand new. I had worn one shift.

SPEAKER_01: 9:27

I wanted to kill Roman because I just found out he took a bite out of um fourth wink.

SPEAKER_05: 9:34

Oh no, that was bad. He's laying at my feet right now. But um, yeah, so I was like, what do I do? And all and the I got really good advice and I took that and I ran with it. So like before like that after three o'clock, like we went on it was like a minimum two-mile walk right before work, and then we would, yeah, and that would tire him out, but then we'd do some brain games and we'd just do like fun things like puppy push-ups, and um I we played hide and go seek, which he loved when he was a puppy. I had an upstairs and a downstairs when he was a puppy, and you know, I'd make him sit on one level and then I'd run around and find a hiding spot on the different level, and then say, okay, and then he'd come and sniff around and find me. So like we'd we would play a lot of games to wear his little his little brain out, and then he would and I had a pet camera so I could watch him throughout the night, and he would just be sitting on the chair that out outlooked the window in the living room, just looking sad and sleeping or sleeping. So he was fine, and it worked out so nice, and I think that was like the best way to go about having a having a dog. Like if you work night shift, it works out pretty well for you.

SPEAKER_01: 10:41

Sounds like it. Yeah. And I feel like trout is very different than Roman in the terms of Trout has facial expressions that will melt a heart of ice. Yes. Um and so when when you do leave him, he does give you that weird, like, dude, you're leaving me. Like, what's up with that?

SPEAKER_05: 11:07

It's so sad. He knows how to play it. He has puppy eyes.

SPEAKER_01: 11:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 11:14

It's crazy.

SPEAKER_01: 11:16

He makes it look so like so easy for everybody else.

unknown: 11:20

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 11:22

Day shift though is a lot is different.

SPEAKER_01: 11:25

Is it?

SPEAKER_05: 11:25

It's I will I don't know if it's that it's different for him or that I have more guilt leaving him for longer.

SPEAKER_01: 11:31

Um I'd just say expound on that.

SPEAKER_05: 11:34

That's that's yeah, because you know, it's still the same amount of time that I'm gone, but like that's during waking hours. But it's funny because like even when I if I have the day off and I'm home all alone, uh I mean I'm home with him all day, I should say, not all alone. Um like he sleeps most of that time, anyways.

SPEAKER_01: 11:51

Well, yeah, they're older now.

SPEAKER_05: 11:52

They don't have to not only that, but like dogs sleep like 16 to 18 hours a day, regardless.

SPEAKER_01: 11:58

I know. And then they're terrors the rest of the time.

SPEAKER_05: 12:02

Yeah, and then when they're awake, they're absolutely nuts. But um I don't know. I always I think I have more guilt just because I think I associate and we I associate human actions with my dog, I guess you would say. And I'm like, oh, he's probably devastated. Like he needs he needs human interaction. He doesn't always get a walk on my 12-hour shifts, which some people would be absolutely appalled by. Um, but he's just he's good. Like he doesn't need it. Like I get home, like before I go to work, he gets like a 30-minute walk. And when I get home from work, he gets a minimum 30-minute walk, if not longer. Um he doesn't ever have an accident. He hasn't had an accident since he was like a year old, as far as you know, being gone for long periods of time. Like he's built for it, he's used to it, he's fine, he's happy, he's spoiled.

SPEAKER_01: 12:52

Like, this dog is spoiled.

SPEAKER_05: 12:55

Yeah, like he he's well taken care of. I think, you know, it and it's not like that kind of lifestyle style is not for every dog. And a lot of people would probably argue that like I can't believe you do that with a lab, but he You can't go 12 hours without peeing.

SPEAKER_01: 13:11

He shouldn't go 12 hours without peeing.

SPEAKER_05: 13:13

Yeah. Yeah. But he is like the most well-behaved lab. He has he doesn't get kenneled like during the day. He Which is amazing. Which is amazing. He's he doesn't get into the garbage, he doesn't eat the drywall, he doesn't eat shoes, like he doesn't even eat his toys when the only time he like chews his toys up is when I'm actually in his presence and he's doing it because he wants attention because I'm not interacting with him in the toy. Like he he's like, and again, that probably is like all the training that we did paying, paying off, but he is like the best lab. Like I know people not not Roman, but I know other labs that are just like absolute monsters when their humans are not around, or even when their humans are around.

SPEAKER_01: 13:58

So I think Roman would be a monster when I'm not around. But I I put him in a crate for 12 hours. Yeah. And that's another thing that would probably be I can just hear all my vegan counterparts saying, How dare you do that as a vegan? But lo and behold, I do not want my stuff chewed up.

SPEAKER_05: 14:20

Yeah. And again, like it's not like that every day. Like when I'm off, I come take care of Roman. Like you've taken trout out for me. Like I try not to work multiple shifts in a row. And if I am working multiple shifts in a row, then I try to see, like, oh hey, like what time do you go to work? Can you just stop by and just like check on trout? Take them out to pee real quick. It's not it's not often that like this is happening multiple days in a row. It's you know, we have a good community where we live and we have friends that live in our apartment complex and we help each other out, which is great.

SPEAKER_01: 14:53

It makes it a lot easier, for sure. Yeah. But I mean the the 12-hour struggle is real.

SPEAKER_05: 14:59

Yeah. Just like raising children, it takes a village.

SPEAKER_01: 15:07

Yeah, some people don't believe that though. So I'll I am one that believes it. FYI. Okay. So what about like the the health and habits? We do but we br broached it a little bit with Trout and like how we leave them for long hours, and luckily we have the community to be able to have that. But what about when they're sick?

SPEAKER_05: 15:37

Oh boy.

SPEAKER_01: 15:39

We we told you a little bit about the story of when Trout was not acting the greatest.

SPEAKER_05: 15:46

When did we talk about that? Was that last season?

SPEAKER_01: 15:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 15:50

Yeah, we have what do you do when your pet is sick? Well, you can't you panic, you call your friends, you make them come do an assessment as well because you wonder if you're just having anxiety or if there's something really wrong. Did we talk about this? I don't know, but Christopher, we just talked about having a community and it taking a village. Well, I got home from work one night and Trout was, we went for a walk, he was acting totally normal and he ate his dinner. And then like maybe 20 minutes later, I had like my headphones on and I was doing stuff around the apartment. And I realized that like Trout was panting and he just looked like he was in distress and in pain. And I was like, okay, am I losing my mind or am I just being like, am I being so I called Chris or I texted Christopher and asked and sent him videos?

SPEAKER_01: 16:44

Yeah, you did not call me.

SPEAKER_05: 16:46

No, no, we didn't call, but I sent him videos of Trout breathing, and I was like, Do you think this is weird? Can you come see him and see if he like acts weird or he acts as normal, like excited to see yourself? And he was like, Yeah, okay, and came over and Trout was not acting his normal, excited to see himself. And we're like, Well, Christopher was like, Yeah, you should probably bring him to the emergency vet. And I was freaking out at this time. So Christopher was like, I can go with you, the saint that he is. And this is at 10:30 at night on a work night.

SPEAKER_03: 17:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 17:14

And the emergency vet like closest to us was like, Oh, we're so busy, can't take them, try this place. So we ended up driving like an hour away.

SPEAKER_00: 17:22

Luckily, you drove.

SPEAKER_05: 17:23

I I drove as crazy as I am, feeling. And then had to go.

SPEAKER_00: 17:29

Actually, I really should have drove. I don't know why I let you drive.

SPEAKER_05: 17:33

I actually locked my keys in the car that night, but think you really? Yeah, do you remember when we left? So we were at the I'm not gonna well, we'll shorten the story because it's quite long and it's very traumatic.

SPEAKER_01: 17:42

But oh yeah, I do remember this.

SPEAKER_05: 17:44

Trout was ended up being fine, and ultimately I think it was gas. They told me he has arthritis, but I was like, Yeah, he's eight. Of course, he has arthritis. That seems like a coincidental finding, but okay, I'm glad he's fine. Can we please leave? We left, we got there at like 10:30 at night. We didn't leave there until like 3:30 in the morning. And I go to like pat, we're outside trying to get in the car. I'm like patting my pockets for my keys, and I'm like, oh my God. And I look in my window and I can see my keys in my driver's seat. I was like, but luckily I have an app on my phone that unlocked my car door, so it wasn't a big deal. But the panic that very like small amount of time that set in, I was like, oh my God. Um, so that was quite the night. So like you have to prepare yourself for these emergency situations, not only mentally, which they're all you're always gonna be thrown off and and upset, but like know that it's gonna happen. It's inevitable when you have a dog or you have a you know any kind of pet. But also you should financially prepare. Christopher, you have like health insurance on Roman Dart, like interestingly enough.

SPEAKER_01: 18:48

I actually have two. You have two? I have a private and then one through not my primary job, but through my secondary job.

SPEAKER_05: 18:56

Uh there's two ways to play it. I mean, if you have insurance, that's great. And Christopher is doubly prepared with his two plans. I I and I don't think lock on one. Roman hasn't had any major emergencies, which is great. I play um on the edge of danger and I don't have any insurance on trial.

SPEAKER_01: 19:16

But you do but you did you have you financially have insurance.

SPEAKER_05: 19:20

I'm I'm financially prepared to pay whatever I need to pay to to save him. But like that's the that's the thing. Like, if you're gonna have a pet, if you make the decision to get a pet, make the decision to afford the pet. Don't get a pet and not think about those things in the future. Like there, there was definitely a reason why I waited a long time to get a pet. Well, you know, I I wanted to be more financially secure. I wanted to be able to afford to give it the best care and the best life. And um, I think we all, I think everyone that gets a pet, you know, comes from a good place. They want they want the companionship, they want to to love something and they want to care for it. But if you're not financially in a spot where you can do it, it's just not your best decision, so you shouldn't.

SPEAKER_01: 20:04

Um financially or time, really.

SPEAKER_05: 20:06

Yeah. And I'll I'll get off my soapbox on that, but I just had to say it.

SPEAKER_02: 20:11

I had to get on it first.

SPEAKER_05: 20:15

But yeah, you you gotta be you gotta prepare for the costs of emergency care and vet bills. It's you know, it's not a cheap thing. It's not only in emergencies you need to bring your pet to the vet, you know, at least once a year, if not more frequently, they need to go and get their checkups just like us.

SPEAKER_01: 20:31

I mean, I I think this one's getting at least twice this one, I'm pointing to Roman, is getting twice a year. Twice a year.

SPEAKER_05: 20:39

Trout goes twice a year, too. Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 20:40

I was like, am I missing something?

SPEAKER_05: 20:41

No, he goes in yeah, he goes twice a year.

SPEAKER_01: 20:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_05: 20:44

He gets blood work. Well now he's a so sad. Now he gets senior blood work, so he has to get it twice a year.

SPEAKER_03: 20:50

But he's geriatric.

SPEAKER_05: 20:52

He's geriatric, which is heartbreaking. He's the cutest little geriatric.

SPEAKER_01: 20:56

He is. He's my favorite of the geriatrics.

SPEAKER_05: 20:59

Mine mind too. Okay, travel dilemma. What do you do when you're you want to go on a trip and you've got a pet? What do you do?

SPEAKER_01: 21:08

Well, I mean, wait a minute. We this whole emergency room, but like we we never finished like Oh, I didn't want to give all the dirty pinches. No, no, no, no, yeah, and we don't have to. I'm just like if in the midst of having a sick pet pet, yes, you have to be financially like stable, but it goes back to having a community. It really does. Even if Colby was to have called me and said, Okay, I I I feel okay. He's fine, we're not gonna go to the emergency room. But tomorrow, and actually the the next day, I ended up going to check on him still.

SPEAKER_03: 21:53

Yeah, I forgot.

SPEAKER_01: 21:55

And so, like being able to have somebody to go check on him, even if it I mean, if going kind of along the financial planning and being prepared, like you should also be financially prepared to either pay someone or you know, like if you need a a rover or a a dog sitter to go check on that person, these people or these people the person Lord check on that dog, you know, the or cat or pet, what you know, whoever is not w whatever is not feeling well, you need to have somebody go check on them. And that's I mean, you you would do a a wellness check, quote unquote, with any person if you felt like they were not doing well, you would have somebody go check on them. Like you should do that, and then like you you there are times where some people, and this isn't knowing like stuff from management, some people truly value their pets. And it's good. And I I appreciate, I love Roman. But Roman does not pay my bills. Christopher And so that I I I say that because I will not call out because my dog is sick. I won't.

SPEAKER_05: 23:23

Well, I think it depends on the definition of how sick he is.

SPEAKER_01: 23:26

Well, yeah, like if he's convulsing and if he has diarrhea outside, you're not gonna call out. No.

SPEAKER_05: 23:33

If he throws up in your house like six times overnight.

SPEAKER_01: 23:37

Because no, I'm not.

SPEAKER_05: 23:38

No, not one time. If Trout throws up one time, I don't call out. But if Trout spent the whole night throwing up and I didn't get to sleep, and I'm like, uh, I probably gotta bring him to the vet because something's going on.

SPEAKER_01: 23:48

No, that I'm gonna call out. Yeah, because I mean, I've actually I mean, I've asked you to take Roman to I picked him up at the vet, yeah. Yeah. Because I ended up being able to work it out that I could go. But I I am I'm and I know I'm the outlier here by being so stringent on going to work. But I think you ha you you as a a nurse that is taking care of a pet need to find that line where you're like, okay, he's okay, really. Or like he's thrown up twice and is he's giving me weird vibes, but I do need to go to work.

SPEAKER_05: 24:33

Like Yeah, and that's when you lean into your community or call your dog walker and just say, Hey, I need you to like keep an eye on him today.

SPEAKER_02: 24:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 24:41

Yeah. And if you're lucky enough to live near family, maybe you can send your parents or sibling or whoever nearby to take care of them, drop them off there, whatever. Yeah. I mean, it's tricky. Um I'm not gonna call out if Tra has diarrhea in the morning when we're walking, I'm gonna be like, Oh, please don't shit in the house today.

SPEAKER_01: 24:59

Well, and that's that's the lucky part about having Roman in the crate. You would probably just do it in the crate.

unknown: 25:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 25:06

Or at least around the crate where it's not around the house.

SPEAKER_05: 25:11

Yeah. No. I mean, but that's also just a part of being a pet parent, is like and and similar to like uh people might hate that I'm comparing it to having a kid and some people don't care at all. But like, and similar to being a parent with a child, like sometimes like crazy stuff like that happens. Like your kid, you're changing a diaper and the diaper's off and they're peeing across the room. Like, you know, you're just sometimes you gotta just deal with deal with those things if they come along. Um with your pets as well. Like sometimes you turn around and your dog just yakked up or your cat just did a hair, like cra yaked up a hairball, and you're like, what the hell? Like those things happen. Just gotta be prepared to clean it up and move along. And and not every not every like little illness is an emergency, but that's yeah, it's the same with your kids, if you ask me. Like I know a lot of parents that are like, uh, my kid threw up this morning, still sent him to school.

SPEAKER_02: 26:08

Go ahead.

SPEAKER_05: 26:09

They weren't running a fever and they felt fine afterwards. So and then I've also heard that like, ah, I did that, and then like three hours later they're like, Ugh, the nurse is calling me. I've gotta go, I've gotta go get my kid.

SPEAKER_01: 26:22

Yeah. But all of that bleeds into what we were gonna talk about next, which is the travel dilemma. Colby, you love to travel.

SPEAKER_05: 26:33

I do.

SPEAKER_01: 26:34

And actually, you're thinking about doing a solo trip, hopefully soon, yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 26:38

Perhaps. So what do we do with our pets?

SPEAKER_01: 26:42

Yeah. What do you do with Roman?

SPEAKER_05: 26:46

Well, with Roman, I uh defer that to you. But with trout, okay, it's another expense that you have to think about when you when you have a dog and you want to travel. I have done a couple of different things. I've had roommates, I've had friends keep keep him. You've kept trout for me here and there. Um, I've also boarded him, but that can get pricey depending on how long you're gonna be going for. And then you also have to think like, does your dog get along with other dogs?

SPEAKER_01: 27:14

Right.

SPEAKER_05: 27:14

Does your long does your dog farewell with being away from you?

SPEAKER_01: 27:19

Does apparently mine does not.

SPEAKER_05: 27:22

I've also I've watched Roman for Christopher. Roman was a Tasmanian devil, tried to kill me a few times. Um no, he was I mean, he did, but he was fine. He did try and kill me, but he it was fine. It was not the worst. But yeah, you have to think about those things. What like what's your dog's personality? And sometimes it's like, okay, we're gonna try this, and then you find out like, oh, boarding was not for Sparky, like not sparky. Or oh my gosh, I let my like I asked somebody to watch my cat for me and they stayed at my house, and my cat was so pissed that somebody was there that they just peed everywhere. Like, you know, they have they have big feelings about that kind of stuff. Your your pets do, and they might get really upset when you leave them. So it's something to think about.

SPEAKER_01: 28:09

And Roman is like notoriously hated by cats. So if I have to take go take him to another person's house, I um they can't have a cat.

SPEAKER_05: 28:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 28:20

Because it's not going to work.

SPEAKER_05: 28:22

Yeah, Trout is very curious, but then he is so big that um he thinks he's playing, but he's really like slapping them around and they're like, I don't think so. Claws come out.

SPEAKER_02: 28:32

We're going at it now.

SPEAKER_05: 28:33

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, so Trout's done it all. Trout's stayed with um family, he's stayed with friends, he has been boarded. And um recently on our last trip when we went to New York City, I had someone come and stay at my place because he's getting to the age now where being boarded, he just doesn't do the best. And when he was younger, totally fine, unfazed. And then as he's gotten older, he doesn't like to eat when he's there. And so then that turns into tummy issues for him and ends up being a whole thing that we have to go through. So we're at this uh ripe age of eight. And I'm gonna try to avoid boarding him unless I absolutely have to going forward.

SPEAKER_01: 29:12

Well, you know, I can always watch him.

SPEAKER_05: 29:14

Yes. I do, I am very lucky again that I have you as a core, core person in my community. Then that trout just adores you. You're probably he probably would choose you over me every day. Um, and I say that often. Trout loves men in general. Um, and Trout would choose a man over me most days, even though I feel like I birthed him and I spoiled the crap out of him, but he would choose a man over me most days. Terrible. Yeah. So it gets expensive though, like when you're having other people watch your animal for you.

SPEAKER_01: 29:50

Yeah. Which it was really cool to hear that you had somebody sp spin the night and was able to like chill at your place so that you can have. Trout to be seen. I have also oh, have you other than going to your families, have you taken trout with you to any places?

SPEAKER_05: 30:09

Oh yeah. Trout does love to travel. Oh. Yeah. We've gone to well, you know, I try to take them I do try to take 'em with me. They'll think the only thing that like deters me from taking is at the adding the added expense. So usually like if you go, I I look at Airbnbs most often, like, and see what pets. And so it's harder, one, to find places that accept pets, but two, when you do find them, it's an extra fee. But he's been to um cabins. He's gone to cabins quite frequently in the woods for camping trips. He's gone to ski chalets for when we go skiing, you know, for a weekend long trip, and he just hangs out while we ski all day. And it's so nice to like spoiled. When I say he's spoiled, like he's going to the mountain to hang out while we ski all day. Like he's going camping with us. Um, where else has he gone? He's gone to the beach, goes to the beach every year for a week, and it's his favorite week of the year.

SPEAKER_02: 31:04

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes.

SPEAKER_05: 31:05

Yeah, he gets absolutely spoiled at the beach. Yeah, but yeah, he he definitely comes places, but again, it's like it's another expense. You gotta be prepared, you know, for a deposit. And, you know, well, again, trout is a literal angel and doesn't do anything bad. Um, so I'd never have to worry about it. But, you know, you could lose those deposits if your dog does something crazy. So you have to be, you know, you can bring them with you, and that's free, but it'd make you know run in a risk.

SPEAKER_01: 31:33

Have you ever canceled a trip because of trout?

SPEAKER_05: 31:36

Not a trip that I I've well, we you I think our listeners know that I live with we live in an area that's far away from our families and that we're kind of like independent. I last summer when we went to the emergency vet with him the following week, I was supposed to go home to visit my family. And I ended up, I didn't want to put him through the stress of driving the the multiple hour drive. Normally he does okay, but also as he's gotten older, long drives stress him out. So I was like, okay, we just barely recovered from this like incident. Let's not put him through this multiple hour long drive of stress. So I ended up canceling that trip and we ended up waiting and went a month, the like almost two months. It was like end of the next month to our beach trip, and he did fine then. But yeah, it's something, it's something to think of think about when those things come up. It's like, okay, well, if I am gonna book something, maybe I should book something with insurance. Because if I have to cancel because of something coming up, I'm like, what could that something be? Oh my dog.

SPEAKER_01: 32:38

And that insurance is more expensive.

SPEAKER_05: 32:40

Yeah, yeah, it's another expense.

SPEAKER_01: 32:42

Yeah. But you know, I've never actually paid for a sitter sitter. Or and I've never boarded a Roman either.

SPEAKER_05: 32:52

Yeah. Well, he's a very lucky boy.

SPEAKER_01: 32:57

Yeah. But I will drive well, luckily my family is well, my father is able to he's retired now, so he's a little bit more mobile. And he was able to come and pick Roman up the last time when we went to New York.

SPEAKER_05: 33:14

Oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 33:15

So that was nice.

SPEAKER_05: 33:16

Tro almost stayed with him.

SPEAKER_01: 33:18

They would have they would have found a way. They Isaiah, my younger brother, was definitely having fun with Roman. He would send pictures and be like, What are you what is your dog doing as he is laying on his back, kind of like chilling?

SPEAKER_05: 33:36

Just being weirdo.

SPEAKER_01: 33:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 33:38

Speaking of weirdos, trout's being very odd tonight. There we go. Looking at me very suspiciously.

SPEAKER_01: 33:50

And and Roman's like, come on, we we can play. And so I I think if I had to like narrow it down, I think I would prefer to bring Roman with me than paying a sitter. Like I would I would pay the deposit.

SPEAKER_05: 34:05

Yeah. It ends up being a little bit cheaper sometimes depending on where the deposit is. The thing about bringing your dog when you go on a trip is then you also have to be like you have to time schedules around like what you're doing, how long you're gonna be away from, what are you gonna be doing when you're on that trip? Does it make sense? Like it's it's it's kind of like it kind of takes away the vacation part of the vacation because you don't get to like rest, relax, and not think about your responsibilities. You have to be like, I would argue for myself, an anxious being that you're like more aware of like your dog than you ever are before because you're not at home and you do have to be, you know, like Yeah, you're like, what is is he gonna do something bad?

SPEAKER_01: 34:49

Yeah, what if he doesn't do it?

SPEAKER_05: 34:50

Or not even like just that, but then you think like this place that you're staying at isn't necessarily like pet-proofed, and like could they get into something? Could they like, you know, who knows? I don't know. My anxiety brain. Like, could they knock uh knock something over with their happy tail and like break a fixture or yeah, like break a glass, like just like something that's completely innocent, but like they're just so happy their happy tail knocked it over, like just like that vigilance that you have to have. Like, oh, sometimes that causes me a little more anxiety. I don't always get to enjoy myself fully. Like when we're at the beach, there's a lot of us that come in and out of the house. And when he was younger, he would be very anxious because we would all leave in the morning to go to the beach. And then he, you know, we usually come back like early afternoon and he would get a ton of attention. But that first, like everybody packing up the car, so everybody's in and out, in and out, in and out, and then he's like, wait, they're leaving, they're leaving, and then he would try to juke us at the door, and then they were time and there's also like water near the house that he'd like, you know, get outside and run into the salt pond and then smell like a sewer for like, you know, just like classic mischief. But that, like in those early years of him like getting to go um on these trips was always a little more chaotic and stressful for me than they are these these days. These days, he's like so chill, it's like the best to take him somewhere because he's just like, All right, I'm here. What's up? What's up, lays down on his back like you were just saying Roman was doing. He's like, pet me. Like rub my belly.

SPEAKER_01: 36:23

I'm here. Yeah, I I and I've told the tall one that you know when you go on a a solo trip, if you're going on a vacation, don't don't bring your pet.

SPEAKER_05: 36:39

Like Yeah. If you can.

SPEAKER_01: 36:43

If you can. Yeah. Yeah. Like it because of that, specifically for that reason, you're you're no longer able to disconnect from the responsibility of having to take care of a pet and then enjoying wherever you are to to have fun. Like you should just be able to go and do at any time and any event without having to think about, oh, I need to be back in two hours to make sure I feed my my pet. Or yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 37:15

I think it's like the one caveat to that is just like depending on the type of trip that you're on. Because I really I think going on like a camping trip and we've been in the cabin, like that's been so fun to take him because like we're don't really doing things that are outside anyways, and it's fun to take your dog on hikes and sit out by the fire and like that kind of stuff. So depending on the trip you are, if you're going to the city to like go to museums and like see a show or whatever, like not only that, but like your dog doesn't want to sit in a hotel while you're like running around doing that kind of stuff anyways. So, like you also have to think like, what'd be the most beneficial for the dog? Like, does he want to go on this trip? Like, they don't really want to do that. They'd rather be at home or you know, be with people that can take them out and give them a little extra attention and have a little fun with another dog or whatever, you know. So it's something to think about as well. It's just like what exactly are you gonna be doing on this trip?

SPEAKER_00: 38:04

True.

SPEAKER_05: 38:05

So whether it's travel gill or early morning vet runs, being a nurse and a pet parent is a whole new level of multitasking.

SPEAKER_01: 38:11

And that's the perfect setup for our next segment, because sometimes the wins and woes come with Paul Prin. Welcome to Nursing Wins and Woes, our favorite therapy session that doesn't require a copay.

SPEAKER_05: 38:23

Every shift comes with something to celebrate and something to survive. This week we're adding our pets to the mix. What are your wins and woes from balancing long shifts and pet parent life?

SPEAKER_01: 38:34

Okay, well, okay, so in terms of Roman's woe. I did not I did not come to find out that this was a thing until Morgan and Danielle told me it was around my birthday and they went to get Roman for me, or for some reason, and they also decided to celebrate my birthday. Which you know I do not like. And as I get there they had all these things up and had all this celebration stuff, which was great, yay, thank. But they didn't send me a picture after I get home and settled and told them I saw what they did. And it's pictures of Roman because I was like, oh, I'm gonna just start trying to g get him to you know, not be in the crate and allow him to hang out outside. Let me tell you.

SPEAKER_05: 39:45

Oh no.

SPEAKER_01: 39:46

He had chewed up all the pictures. Not all the pictures, but he had chewed up a coaster. The wooden and marble one that I had. He chewed the wood part.

SPEAKER_05: 39:59

He chewed up a Oh, so this wasn't that long ago. In the last year.

SPEAKER_01: 40:05

No, no, no, no. Two years? It was when we were in the old apartment.

SPEAKER_05: 40:09

Oh.

SPEAKER_01: 40:10

Two years ago? Yeah. He had chewed up a TV remote. And he had chewed up something else. I can't remember exactly what it was. But I was livid that my dog would do something like that.

SPEAKER_05: 40:25

Not your dog.

SPEAKER_01: 40:27

I know. And once again, I had to check him this just three days ago because he chewed a the binding, the binding of a book.

SPEAKER_05: 40:38

Sir. Very naughty.

SPEAKER_01: 40:40

I was so mad. And it wasn't like it was I read but before bed, so it's sitting on my pillow. My my passenger pillow. Uh the pillow I don't use.

SPEAKER_05: 40:51

And were you home when he did it?

SPEAKER_01: 40:53

I don't know. I I I have no clue. He must have heard that.

SPEAKER_05: 40:56

You could have been out here and he was in your bed just gnawing away.

SPEAKER_01: 40:59

No, but but the thing is, he doesn't usually get in my bed unless I'm in it. So I'm I'm thinking this is my my Sherlock skills coming out. Okay. I'm I my deduction is that I was sleeping.

SPEAKER_05: 41:16

He did it while you were asleep?

SPEAKER_01: 41:18

He had to have.

SPEAKER_05: 41:18

Hmm.

SPEAKER_01: 41:19

He was like, let me nibble on that a little bit.

SPEAKER_05: 41:21

He's like, this is my time.

SPEAKER_01: 41:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 41:22

This is my time to be naughty. You better be careful, sir, because you'll start getting crated at night.

SPEAKER_02: 41:28

Sure no.

SPEAKER_05: 41:31

Bliss.

SPEAKER_02: 41:32

I will do it.

SPEAKER_05: 41:33

Oh my. Oh gosh. Okay. Well, Trout in his long eight years um has many woes, but I'll share a little more health stuff with him. He he's had a GI issue since he was a baby. He had gotten uh overgrowth of clostridium in his stomach. And so every now and then, if his feeding schedule gets messed up, the overgrowth kind of resurfaces, and then he gets diarrhea for a couple of days. And so there are many things that I have done to combat this. Um, and we've tried different diets and supplements. And um he's been, you know, he's had, you know, when he's in these bouts, he has to take flagell and caraphate and all of these other human medications. It's so funny to me that when I give my dog when he's sick, and I'm like, I give this to patients. Um so, anyways, as you can imagine, as we were kind of talking about earlier, the um you sometimes have to deal with accidents. And my well, and I'm gonna knock on wood because we've been on a good clip.

SPEAKER_01: 42:37

I would say you shouldn't have said that. That's the part.

SPEAKER_05: 42:39

It's probably been very it's probably been about a year. I don't know, and he's acting a little funny tonight.

SPEAKER_01: 42:44

You just keep going in stop.

SPEAKER_05: 42:46

Listen, we talked about superstitions last week, and we know I'm not that superstitious.

SPEAKER_01: 42:51

But you've knocked on wood twice in this episode.

SPEAKER_05: 42:53

Yeah, I've knocked on twice, but I'm gonna keep talking and knocking on wood. But I it was probably it's probably been almost a year, if not all the well, yeah, it's been in the new. It was once in the new apartment. So it's been about six weeks.

SPEAKER_01: 43:07

Once in the new apartment?

SPEAKER_05: 43:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 43:10

Oh yeah, I remembered this. Okay, good. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 43:12

I came home from work and I opened up the door and I just, you know, you know the smell instantly. And I was like, I was I think I was on the phone and I opened up the door and I just got hit with the smell of poop, his diarrhea, and I was like, no, before he even turned the lights on. I was like, no. I turned, you know, the light on in the kitchen, and then I just see him very sad and sullen walk out of my bedroom. And he just, like Christopher said, he makes the faces. He had the saddest face. Like he felt so guilty. And he does. Like, I when he's when he's done this in the past when he was younger, like he will nose the carpet, like trying to cover it up because he's so upset that he's like made his nose raw and bleed. Yeah, and bleed. So he didn't have that this time because he did it in the kitchen, which was kind of like a nice thing for him to do because it was on the wood, the linoleum wood floor. And so I was able to just like clean it up and disinfect with bleach and move on. But um, that is our woe is that you know, your pet well, you're gonna have these accents. So coming home from a 12-hour shift, and he had one of these GI bugs that came out of nowhere as they do, and had like a cow plop, a cow, I kid you not, a cow plop of diarrhea on the floor. I was like, no, this is terrible. And he just looks so sad. He's like, sorry, mom, I just couldn't hold it. It was it was bad.

SPEAKER_01: 44:41

I was trying so bad.

SPEAKER_05: 44:43

I was trying so bad.

SPEAKER_01: 44:44

He probably was.

SPEAKER_05: 44:45

I know what a poor baby.

SPEAKER_01: 44:47

I think a win for me, though. I've gotten a date from having Roman.

SPEAKER_05: 44:51

Oh.

SPEAKER_01: 44:52

Just kidding.

SPEAKER_05: 44:53

Oh, I told I totally believed you because I can see that. I honestly, if like if I didn't have a dog and I saw a guy with a dog, a puppy, like I always like, can I pay your puppy? Like, I'm it's a gr that's a chick magnet right there. It's a human magnet. Everybody loves a puppy.

SPEAKER_01: 45:10

And and yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_05: 45:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 45:13

Everybody everybody loves a dog. It doesn't matter. As long as they're nice, you know, as long as they're not like yapping at me for some weird reason, I will gravitate toward a dog before I would gravitate toward a human. But in terms of a real win, because me getting a date is not it. Um I would say that honestly Roman has been a fun little exercise partner. Like he runs with me pr pretty right pretty well with the little, you know, around the waist leash. Um and though at first when you start to like go on a run, he will try to outrun you. He quickly realizes that his energy does not match the enthusiasm he has for running. And so he'll he'll slow down and actually match my pace. But it does take a little bit. Oh, you've you're finally done to decide to use your lammy. Okay. Cool.

SPEAKER_05: 46:20

It's because Trout's here.

SPEAKER_01: 46:21

Yeah. It's only because Trout's here.

SPEAKER_05: 46:24

Yeah. Trout has an obsession with Lamb Chop like a lot of dogs do. Um, which is funny because I had an obsession with lamb chop when I was little when she was a TV show before she was the ultimate dog toy.

SPEAKER_01: 46:34

Really?

SPEAKER_05: 46:35

I loved Lamb Chop.

SPEAKER_01: 46:37

I did not know it was a TV show.

SPEAKER_05: 46:38

What? You're a millennial. It was like on PBS. It was free to everyone. You were a child.

SPEAKER_01: 46:45

You know, yes.

SPEAKER_05: 46:47

To circle back, what is my win about being a pet parent?

SPEAKER_01: 46:51

I would say I don't know if you would consider this a cop-out, but I just think that like You know, you like to give a lot of cop-outs on these win and woes.

SPEAKER_05: 47:00

Well, I was just gonna say, like, I'm just my win is that I just have like the perfect dog. Like, I just I have I mean, yeah, does it it's not a lie though. Like I mean, does do I have to take him to the emergency bed every once in a while? Yes. Uh does he have accidents in the house due to his GI issue very rarely these days? But yes. Um, there are a lot of woes to being a pet parent, but there I like think he's perfect and in the way that he is, and I love him so much.

SPEAKER_01: 47:35

The fact that he won't let you pick him up though, is well, he's a big boy, he doesn't like it. Roman likes it.

SPEAKER_05: 47:42

Trout does not like it. He's a picky man, okay? He just won't he's he's getting kind of crotchety in his old age, but he was always he always didn't like his feet touched, and he doesn't, even though I touch them all the time as a puppy, and he's just a weirdo. Um, and he doesn't like to be picked up, which is like a fun activity for one of my one of our friends whenever she is overserved. Um, she makes it a a project of hers to pick him up. Actually, I was just looking through Snapchat memories, and there's one of her picking him up, like video, and he just looks like, what are you doing to me? And he's heavy, he's not, he's no tiny lab. But yeah, no, I just think that like my win is that I just ended up with like this great first dog. Like he people say, you know, like that's your life, your life pet, like your life. I don't know, what do they say? They don't know, like your big your your life dog. I don't know, but he we're connected, we're bonded, we're soul bonded, and there will never be another, like animal. No, not my spirit animal. Oh people say like that, like you're just like deeply connected to some pets of yours. Like he is like my soul pet, and we're deeply connected, and there will never be another, and I'll probably never love a pet more than I've ever loved him.

SPEAKER_03: 48:53

Like twin flame.

SPEAKER_05: 48:54

He's my twin flame. He is. I mean, that that dog that you get in your 20s, people also say, like, oh, that dog that got you through your twenties, like that that connection, like that's never gonna compare. Like, that's so true. And um, I just love him to death. I just I wish I could clone him. I wish he could live forever. And it oh, the the deep sadness that I get randomly sometimes just looking at him and I'm like, oh, I can cry right now talking about it. But like I truly Christopher's like, please don't cry again. Please stop crying. You do this all the time when you talk about him getting older. Um, and I do, like, I will. It's just like it's so crazy. And I think also as he gets older, like I get more anxious when he doesn't act himself. And tonight is one of those nights, like he's absolutely fine. He's just chilling, like staring at us, but he is just being like a little different than what he normally is, and nothing extreme. Like, he doesn't look like he's in distress, he doesn't look like he's in pain, he's just like chilling, he looks tired, and I'm like just watching him like a hawk. I'm like, what's wrong with you? What's wrong with you? And I think he's literally he's like closing his eyes and then he am like, What's wrong with you? And he just looked up, like, will you chill out?

SPEAKER_02: 50:00

Will you settle down?

SPEAKER_05: 50:02

But like my anxiety with him getting older, it's just like realizing that like he won't live forever, and I should have like another four to four years with him, right? But you just never know what's gonna happen. And as your like beloved pets get older, it's like the hardest thing to also, I don't know. I feel like I'm like really grieving, even though I have no reason to be. It's wild, it's absolutely wild what you go through owning a pet and just like oh man, it's the worst, but it's the best. Like, I don't I wouldn't I would never say um never own a pet because I think that they add so much value to your life and they're just like the funniest little creatures ever. And it's like they are creatures. Like, isn't it so weird that we've domesticated a wolf to the point where like we sleep in the same bed?

SPEAKER_02: 50:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 50:55

Like he sleeps next to me on my passenger pillow. Like that is it's not a passenger pillow, it is trout's pillow, like head on pillow. Like that's his spot. Like he's on the left side, I'm on the right, and we have our places in the bed. I do have to kick him out of my bet my spot sometimes, but like he is he is my my best friend. He's just the best boy. He's the best guy. So that's my win. My win is just him existing. All right. That's this week's nursing wins and woes. Proof that every nurse's week has a little fur and a lot of feelings, clearly.

SPEAKER_01: 51:32

And we couldn't trade it for anything except maybe a nap.

SPEAKER_05: 51:38

Facts.

SPEAKER_01: 51:39

Alrighty, wrapping this up, the good stuff about pets.

SPEAKER_05: 51:45

Yeah, let's end on the positive. I do feel like we complained heavily about how how much of a financial burden that they can be in the first half of the podcast, but that's reality. So you gotta talk about that. But uh, there's so many good things about having a pet. And like I was just saying, like in our segment, Bright, like I would never tell anybody to not not ever own a pet because they do add so much value to us. I think I've touched on like my mental illnesses of just anxiety. And and we had a whole podcast about helpful things to to deal with that. And go back to season one and listen to it if you need some help managing your anxiety at work. But one way to manage your anxiety from work is to have a lovely little emotional support animal.

SPEAKER_01: 52:37

And they're they can really be at all ages inscientists and and types.

SPEAKER_05: 52:44

I mean, I have friends that have snakes that they love their snakes, like the same way I love trout, and they get the same kind of emotional support, which is wild to me. Like, I could never. That's cool. I'm glad that they get that, but like absolutely adore their two ball pyth ball pythons, B-A-L-L, I think. Christopher's like, I don't know. He's like, I don't have them for a reason. Um, I have friends that have cats, I have friends that have guinea pigs, I have friends. They're little squeakers, little squeaky things.

SPEAKER_04: 53:19

Squeaky squeaky.

SPEAKER_05: 53:20

I yeah, what did you have any do you have any friends that have or like people that you know that you work with that have just like a exotic animal?

SPEAKER_01: 53:27

Um no, actually I don't know anybody that has any space. I do know someone that has spiders as a pet.

SPEAKER_05: 53:34

Oh.

SPEAKER_01: 53:34

Yeah, they're um tarantulas.

SPEAKER_05: 53:37

How many?

SPEAKER_01: 53:38

Two.

SPEAKER_05: 53:39

They work in healthcare?

SPEAKER_01: 53:40

No.

SPEAKER_05: 53:41

Oh. No shade, but that's not for me.

SPEAKER_01: 53:46

I think the re the readers, the listeners would think a little bit different about your shade, though.

SPEAKER_05: 53:53

Yeah, that one's not for me, but there's like there's nothing better than coming home and like I think we said it in the beginning of the podcast, but like you wanna open up the door and I hear Trout like I well, even if he hears me unlock the door and I hear his little tippy tappies on the ground because he's so excited I'm home. Like, I'm like, oh, I can't wait to see his face. I'm like, oh, and like instantly, like all the work stress just goes away. Melts away.

SPEAKER_01: 54:19

Goes away.

SPEAKER_05: 54:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 54:20

Yeah, I and it really the stress, and then also like going back to my win, like they can motivate you to be a little bit more active in your exercise.

SPEAKER_05: 54:32

Like they kind of force you to be.

SPEAKER_01: 54:34

I mean, yeah, you have to go out and walk. Well, if you have a dog. If you have a dog, yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 54:38

I will totally agree with exercise motivation, especially having a dog. I actually I actually lost like 40 pounds after I got trout.

SPEAKER_00: 54:49

Holy frick.

SPEAKER_05: 54:51

Yeah, which is crazy. Um, I mean, of course, it was like after a time of like leaving college where you like put weight on from drinking and like eating bad food, but I think that and the combination of like increasing the amount of time that I'm out walking a very energetic chocolate lab puppy, like the combination helped me lose weight very quickly, which is wild. Maybe not 40 pounds, maybe it was more like 20 pounds, but that's still significant.

SPEAKER_02: 55:16

That is still significant.

SPEAKER_05: 55:17

Um, and like there's I I and we've talked about this in our in the like mental health episode from last season, but like getting outside and exposing yourself to sun, especially during the winter months when sad hits and you know we have less sunshine and our do our days are shorter. Like you are so unmotivated to go outside during those months because it's you're it's cold, you're already miserable. You're like, I don't want to be anywhere but in my bed in the dark. Um, but when you have a dog, you don't really get that choice. Like you've got to buck up because that dog's gotta at the very least exercise itself.

SPEAKER_01: 55:56

Put talk about that. But when we're feeling sick.

SPEAKER_05: 56:00

Yeah, yeah. That yeah, that's true. That we could have hit um in our in our woes. But like when you're sick as a human, like you still have responsibilities to your animals. Like I got COVID back in when COVID first hit the US in 2020, in March of 2020. I got COVID at the end of April, beginning of May. And I still had, even though I thought I was dying, could barely walk 10 feet without like my respirations jumping up and my sats dropping low. I still had to walk that guy. It was terrible. But I was committed. But like, yeah, you have to you have to be aware of that. But yeah, like they will they will get you outside regardless, whether it's rain, snow, sleet, like you are the mailman out there because you've got you've got a commitment, you've got a job to do, and that's take care of that pet. Lucky if you have a cat or a fish or you know, something that doesn't necessarily need to be supervised outside, but um, lucky if you got a fence in backyard, you can just open up that door.

SPEAKER_01: 57:02

But that I'm jealous of any person that has that.

SPEAKER_05: 57:05

Yeah, any person that has that on a rainy day, very jealous.

SPEAKER_01: 57:10

On multiple occasions, been like, why am I not smart enough to be able to design like a robot walker?

SPEAKER_05: 57:17

Oh, I mean, they've got that Tesla robot that's uh looks like a human now. I mean, not in my affordable budget.

SPEAKER_02: 57:25

Oh, so yeah. Yours?

SPEAKER_05: 57:30

I don't even know if that's actually widely um available for people to even purchase, but I do know that like Kim Kardashian did a photo shoot with one. And that's a sidebar for another day. But but yeah, that would be wonderful if we can just get robot dog walkers. Like for bad weather days.

SPEAKER_01: 57:49

Like, what if I'm running late? If I'm running late, that's another thing. If I'm running late, I still have to take care of this dog.

SPEAKER_05: 57:55

I mean, if the dog, if the robot can walk the dog, then it could feed the dog. And then if you want to go on a trip, then the robot can take care of the dog then.

SPEAKER_01: 58:03

Uh this is getting close to iRobot.

SPEAKER_05: 58:06

This is getting very close to that plot line.

SPEAKER_01: 58:09

That's a little too much. I don't know if I like that.

SPEAKER_05: 58:11

All right, scrap that idea. Also, the robot that uh Tesla made looks like the robots from iRobot.

SPEAKER_01: 58:18

No.

unknown: 58:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 58:18

Will Smith, we need your help.

SPEAKER_05: 58:22

Well. Oh, that movie was some nuts.

SPEAKER_02: 58:24

We don't need you to lose your weight.

SPEAKER_05: 58:28

Yes. Uh conversation starters.

SPEAKER_01: 58:33

Yeah. I do you know what?

SPEAKER_05: 58:35

That's the best. It is. It's easy.

SPEAKER_01: 58:37

Show a picture of your dog and instantly people start talking.

SPEAKER_05: 58:40

It's a great way to connect with your patients.

SPEAKER_01: 58:42

Yes.

SPEAKER_05: 58:43

It's such a good way to easy, like you're like throwing yourself a bone. Like most people have pets of some sort.

SPEAKER_00: 58:50

Some sort.

SPEAKER_05: 58:50

You have a confused person, confused old lady, confused old man, and you're trying to kind of like redirect them. Oh, hey, Miss Sue, tell tell me, do you have any pets at home? And all of a sudden she's talking to you about her dog, and then you can, oh, what kind of dog is it? Oh, wow, I have a dog. Then you, oh, let me show you a picture of my dog. Oh, and then you know, you've redirected the conversation. The patient's happy. We're talking about something they love. Yeah. It's reducing their stress. Right. Um, yeah, great conversation starter at work, outside of work.

SPEAKER_01: 59:24

Anywhere.

SPEAKER_05: 59:25

Anywhere love an icebreaker when you go around and share a fun fact about yourself. I have a chocolate lab named Trout. I got friends everywhere all of a sudden.

SPEAKER_01: 59:35

Well, the thing is, you also have a very unique name for a dog.

SPEAKER_05: 59:39

I do get a lot of compliments on it.

SPEAKER_01: 59:41

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 59:44

That's true.

SPEAKER_01: 59:45

So, I mean, I think overall, like it and you know, we hit on it bay magnet for sure.

SPEAKER_05: 59:53

Easily. For men and women. Again, one, everybody likes a puppy. So if you have a puppy, you can't walk. three feet. There's a older man who lives across the street from our not not old. He's retirement age, but like early retirement. Who lives across the street from our apartment complex.

SPEAKER_01: 1:00:10

My dad is early retirement. Yeah, so he's not old.

SPEAKER_05: 1:00:13

No, no, no. I said not old, not old. Just retirement age. A young older man. Um older, not old. Older than me.

SPEAKER_00: 1:00:23

Yes.

SPEAKER_05: 1:00:24

He he just got a chocolate lab puppy.

SPEAKER_01: 1:00:26

Oh, did he really?

SPEAKER_05: 1:00:27

You never seen Samson out there?

SPEAKER_01: 1:00:29

I haven't seen Samson.

SPEAKER_05: 1:00:30

Oh, there is a chocolate lab puppy named Samson. And he's probably about 12 weeks now if I'm doing the math correctly real quick. He's like 12 to 14 weeks and he's getting bigger by the day. But that poor guy he can't we also live across the street from like a coffee shop, some restaurants, like so it's really convenient for us and I I like, you know, I where I'm out there all the time because I'm walking trout. So Trout has met Samson and um I saw you took a picture of I sent it to the group to our group chat. But I was sitting out having coffee a couple maybe two weeks ago with a friend outside the coffee shop and Samson was on his morning walk with his dad and that man could not get three feet without someone new stopping him. I was like this poor guy. But also let me get in line I was on the ground rolling around with puppy Samson. Like it doesn't matter how old you are like if you have a puppy you're a magnet for human beings. But not only that like if you have a dog anywhere like if if I'm not with trout and I see another dog, I'm like, can I pet your dog? Dogs at the hospital therapy animals. Oh and I know that circles back to pet stress relief and emotional support and all of that the therapy animals at the hospital. Oh my God does my day just turn around when we get some of our therapy dogs. Oh my God. It's the best day ever. I have so many pictures on my phone of the therapy dogs at our health system.

SPEAKER_00: 1:02:01

Not the therapy dogs.

SPEAKER_05: 1:02:02

And our therapy dogs also come they have a like we call their they look like player cards from like when you played sports as a kid. Yeah. Yeah. And there's like the picture of them on the front a professional photo and on the back it's like their age and what their name is and like their favorite things. And like it's just they have those stats.

SPEAKER_02: 1:02:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 1:02:22

That's their stats and we collect them on our unit and we have them taped along the along the inside of the nurse's station. So whenever we meet a new dog we always ask like do you have a player card that we can add to our collection like acute cards is like the biggest fan of the hospital therapy dogs. They are oh my God. I don't I saw one today and I was like April and like screaming running down the hall. I was like April is a golden retriever. And her handler or owner is this elderly man who is and I'm I say he's very elderly he's got white hair he toddles around he's very cute. Toddles well yeah he's a little his gait is not steady. I'm like I get a little nervous steady yeah I think April does steady him but April's so gentle and like oh she's so April she's probably three I think three or four she's young but she's the best disposition and she's a little plump and he always dresses her up. She wears pearls do you know the one I'm talking about you know the owner that you know I'm right. Yes yes um she always wears like a jewelry and she gets dressed up like a princess and she goes to the kit the Pete's floor a lot. But yeah I caught her in the hallway today and I was like fangirling. I was like I haven't seen you in so long good girl I love her. But yeah I love the therapy dogs. I just went on a full tangent clearly I need a lot of therapy dogs in my life.

SPEAKER_01: 1:03:53

You know they in the outpatient world have been saying that I need to bring Roman as a therapy dog and I'm like they were like we can give him a little bed right here and I'm like no can you imagine Roman he would be like hopping like a jackrabbit around so much fun. He would and that's why he's not a therapy dog.

SPEAKER_05: 1:04:15

Yeah he would have too much fun. He would have too much fun trout would for the record would also have too much fun. Like he's perfect but like he's still a lab he would be all over the place just trying to like he loves but he loves hard and he loves people but he would be knocking down those old people left and right. Yeah and kids he would be like oh you're my size let's play you're mine. He thinks he's playing on Halloween we live in a very like kid heavy area but also like a lot of developments where we live like housing developments and you could just tell on Halloween that people were just driving in from other areas and parking on the side of the road. So it was it was insane on Halloween where we live and I took Trout outside at like 630 thinking like okay this is like a good time real quick to take Trout out to pee before it gets too dark out and these you know there's more kids running around. I don't know why I thought that because like obviously young kids are out at 630. They're just starting their trick or treating and trout was like ho ho ho ho ho ho ho like you know imagine a bunch of small children about the size of an 80 pound lab and they're playing they're they're having a good time that actually makes me happy he's is Troutie doing that? Yeah. Oh good okay he's fine yeah he found Lammy um that makes me happy that he's doing that though he's now he's acting more himself maybe just need a little nap. He had a little gas but anyways to so to refocus there imagine just like a bunch of um kids about the size of an 80 pound lab dressed in costumes that make them look like stuffed animals. Like he was like eyes just huge like oh I've got like giant lambies to play with I was like I literally he peed I turned right around I said we're going back inside because you're gonna take down one of these kids and it would be literally out of love. Yeah but you're gonna take down one of these kids we can't have that today I don't need a lawsuit I don't need parents freaking out we don't need the cops called like that would be a disaster good thing you pee quickly we're out of here just kids running by and he's like oh my god friends friends friends friends friends no those are not your friends we're going inside oh god that's funny the parallel between caring for patients and caring for pets like what's the difference and what's the similarities the care for patients and caring for pets obviously in a Venn diagram the overlapping part is very big like oh well yeah yeah they're completely dependent on us yeah so are patients yeah in some cases so are our patients I think I mean uh for me personally and I know that you have a different relationship with Roman than I have a relationship with Trout. Yeah and I would say my relationship with most animals is different than yours but Trout is not just my pet. He's not just my companion but I treat him like my child and there are different schools of thoughts on that but like I love him with my entire being and not and I don't love my patients with my entire being I care about them immensely and I empathize with them but I would compare my my love and caring with trout as I would a like if I had birthed him if he was my child.

SPEAKER_01: 1:07:40

I mean you even said that earlier.

SPEAKER_05: 1:07:41

I did say that earlier just saying yeah but and then in the actual caring part like we're doing the same things. We're right our patients that can't feed themselves, we're feeding them our patients We're picking up their poop we're wiping their butts we're picking up their poop we are giving them baths we are you know like the actual caring part are the same things but like the deep level of connection obviously is a little bit stronger with my pet than it is with my patients.

SPEAKER_01: 1:08:12

Yeah I mean I am of the thought the school of thought that a pet is a pet. I love them dearly and they're great but they are not my child they're your companion. They are my companion and as the I can just hear people yelling at me now, but they're they're here to serve me my mind just explodes.

SPEAKER_05: 1:08:38

I'm like I don't understand this but everyone's different.

SPEAKER_01: 1:08:40

Yeah and you know the the they're here to serve my purpose of having a companion and yes I get the benefit of having you know an exercise partner a bay magnet a conversation starter but ultimately I'm probably treating them more like my patient than you are because like yes I care about you I care about you as a patient and I will give you a hundred percent of who I am as a a nurse taking care of a patient. But I'm ultimately able to disconnect when you either leave the hospital or I leave the shift and I mean really and truly as bad as this sounds when I leave this apartment I forget about Roman and I fully dive into I see what you're saying but I always love to challenge mode I I like to challenge your own thought about the kind of person that you are because I feel like sometimes you present yourself as more like cool and calculated not cold but cool.

SPEAKER_05: 1:09:49

Um would you let your patient sleep in bed with you? Okay just curious stumped you're heart is warmer and bigger than you let people think no but yes we do have a different relationship true but that I'm a hundred percent with Roman right like when I'm here but I see what you mean I I don't get it I don't get in my patient's bed yeah no me either that's freaking weird I can just see that being really bad some people I'm sure would enjoy it boundaries who knows who knew her never heard of her but then no there's people out there that are like that have animals and they're like absolutely not animal not allowed in the bed yeah yeah yeah animal not allowed for a while yeah well you don't like like Roman on the couch which is very common people don't want their their animals on the couch doesn't just happen to be a dog but trout well trout let himself on the couch and you just think he's the best thing ever so you let him go on the couch it's also true it's actually so funny because Christopher will do anything for Trout but like Roman he's like boundaries because he's not trout isn't mine but it's funny like and I treat Roman like the same way I treat Trout so like but Roman's like wait no boundaries no rules and that's why he's like absolute like insane at my apartment when I keep him but that's okay I know it's my fault.

SPEAKER_01: 1:11:31

I don't blame anyone but myself before we like completely wrap this up any other pet than a dog?

SPEAKER_05: 1:11:42

Oh yeah I mean I grew up with cats.

SPEAKER_01: 1:11:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_05: 1:11:44

Um I grew up with dogs um at one point we had two sheep oh we've had a lot of fowl we've had um interesting and you talk about birds yeah we've had well they're like ducks and chickens they don't live inside oh this is very interesting okay uh they didn't live inside when they were babies they did for a little while um and probably one of one of my favorite pets that I've ever had I had a rabbit in college um and she was Lairbox trained um her name was her name was Millie or mil Mildred Millie for short she was about she was kind of large she was pretty big she was a lion head and she she was awesome she was like very curious we we a but in a very weird way a lot of us in my sorority had rabbits in that classic classic way that somebody thinks they have a male and a female but turn or no the classic way that someone thinks that they have two of the same sex but it turns out one is a male and one is a female and you end up with babies we all were like oh awesome I'll take a baby I'll take a baby so like there were many of us with rabbits in a weird strange way in a weird cult-like way um and I was one of them um and she was she was illegally housed in my college apartment my senior year yeah illegally housed my college apartment senior year and when they did um apartment inspections they used to put her in my closet in her cage with a blanket over it and just pray that she wouldn't like rattle it but she um she would get like I'd let her out and she'd run around and she'd get on my bed and she looked you they're very affectionate when they're when they're handled a lot they're like very they're very similar to like cats if they're handled a lot. Huh and she was she was awesome. And the only reason why I had I had to re-home her was when I moved because I was living like with my friend and and her dad at his house and I wasn't gonna like bring my pet rabbit when he so graciously allowed us to stay with him while we were getting our feet on the ground. But yeah I had I had Mildred Millie and she was she was my light and joy in college junior and senior year. Wow that's so funny. Is there is there a a type of pet you want to have but haven't gotten type of pet that I want to have but haven't gotten I will get I would like a couple different breeds of dogs in my lifetime um but outside of dogs I would get a rabbit again but that's something I've already had I don't think so I don't I mean cats are really low maintenance and I think they're a great pet to have and they have such funny personalities but I despise the idea of a litter box so that wouldn't be for me. I think we pretty much can deduce that I'm not a bird person I think um it's so funny like I'll pick up a dog's poop in a bag but like the idea of having to change a litter box sounds nightmarish. And I hated having to change the rabbit's litter box. It was like such a chore for me.

SPEAKER_02: 1:14:56

Right.

SPEAKER_05: 1:14:57

I was like oh I've gotta do it. So I don't know. I think I'll just stick with dogs. What about you?

SPEAKER_01: 1:15:04

Which which question I asked you a couple any other pets?

SPEAKER_05: 1:15:10

Well why don't you just give me the feedback on all the questions I feel like you've got an answer queued up for all of them.

SPEAKER_01: 1:15:15

So yes I have had um multiple pets I've had a gerbil I've had a guinea well my brother and I my brother had a guinea pig. I had a parakeet I had a hamster had a cat had a dog had fish oh of course fish how did I forget they weren't memorable to you apparently we had we had a lot of fish growing up as you can imagine um other than that though that's it in terms of oh no no no no no my ex-partner at the time had a ferret I was just when you said guinea pig I or no what did you say gerbil?

SPEAKER_05: 1:16:05

Gerbil we had ferrets at one point I think we had like two or three I was really little my mom was like let's get the kids ferrets and miserable they got in the couch she gave them away she gave them away she was like she had a friend that had ferrets and she's like do you want them? He was like yeah and it becomes like this ferret motel yeah yeah they I don't needless to say I think we had them just like a couple weeks it felt like of course I was little we could have had them longer than that but it felt like maybe a couple weeks when my aunt listens to this she'll she'll text me and be like it was two days just kidding and then in terms of wanting wanting a pet a sugar glider.

SPEAKER_01: 1:16:51

Oh yeah those little squirrel things oh my gosh they're so cute and they're so cuddly and they just you know you would have to get two because apparently they're really familial you really social love birds. But I think that would be because then I could just like hide it in my pocket and just go places.

SPEAKER_05: 1:17:13

I'd be scared I'd lose it. Like I put in my pocket and then like it falls like it jumps out and it runs away they don't apparently do that.

SPEAKER_01: 1:17:21

Yeah I don't I think that they're just like they want to be with their little humans but they're marsupial um so like they like to be in pockets.

SPEAKER_05: 1:17:29

Have you looked into doing that seriously yeah so um you have to have a special license you've looked into it seriously trying to think if I if I've know anyone that has any kind of like exotic like animals here.

SPEAKER_01: 1:17:42

My brother at my home state possum a possum for a pet he can have one or had one no he did not have have or neither wants one but he was working at his job and a person came in with that possum.

SPEAKER_05: 1:17:58

Hmm as a pet was that a special permit I'm wondering it would have to be but I've seen some wild things one time at the Walmart here a little bit further out than where we live so a little bit more into the country there was a group of people in the parking lot or this one oh no further north far north past our town oh north there was a group of people standing in a circle and I got out of my car to go into this Walmart and I was like what's going on and then all of a sudden I see them passing around a baby raccoon. And I was like I think that this is just some country weird stuff going on out here. I'm I'm pretty sure that's illegal and you guys are all gonna need a rabies series but I was interested it was pretty cute but I kept my distance I didn't want anyone to put it in my arms you know because I'd probably fall in love with it and that would be a problem. And then I would need a rabies series as well so you gotta be careful. I mean one of our presidents had a skunk as a pet in the White House.

SPEAKER_00: 1:18:57

Which president?

SPEAKER_05: 1:18:58

Well um hold on we'll do a Google pet skunk why do I not know this? Well no actually that doesn't surprise me my history is um abysmal um I think it was like a I do you remember the Ripley's Believe it or not books? Do you remember those?

SPEAKER_01: 1:19:15

No I remember the show.

SPEAKER_05: 1:19:17

Okay well they also have books that would always be at like the scholastic book fair and um I think that fact was in the ripleys was in the Ripley's believe it or not. Okay I might be confused though I am seeing that there was a pet raccoon named Rebecca um during the Hoover administration that lived at the White House. A skunk is noted to be one of the most unusual pets associated with I had the White House due to its unique nature. Yvette in 1922 was a skunk owned by a vaudeville performer and it was brought to the White House. Maybe it was just brought there Yvette maybe that's the picture I've seen hold on let me do weirdest pets at the at the White House weirdest pets at the White House Okay An Alligator was kept in the bathroom by John Quincy Adams Martin Van Buren's Tiger Cups a pygmy hippopotamus owned by Calvin Coolidge um raccoons by the Coolidge family as well a badger by Teddy Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge they both had pet pets named Josiah and Tom respectfully Woodrow Wilson had sheep Teddy Roosevelt also had a bear black bear that's wild and he also had a hyena he had a collection of exotic pets what a random collection a badger a hyena there was a pony algonquin that's more normal lots of dogs possums goats my goodness a blue macaw named Eli Yale which a blue macaw is actually not blue it's the red it's the red with the with the with the blue tail yeah I think so wow there's been some wide check to make sure because I just said that on a podcast someone's fact checking us we need a I am completely wrong oh are they actually the blue ones definitely blue Jesus yep uh confirmed I also confirmed in a quick search that uh blue macaw also known as the hyacinth macaw yep yep yep um is definitely blue yep definitely bald blue it's an extinct wait the blue macaw is an extinct bird of Brazil oh oh what is this I guess the hyacinth the hyacinth macaw is a little bit different.

SPEAKER_01: 1:21:59

I was thinking of the red macaw you are the scarlet the scarlet macaw and it was also and it's also red.

SPEAKER_05: 1:22:05

Yeah but it does have blue feathers it does have so I can see why you thought that maybe that yeah was a tricky name situation.

SPEAKER_00: 1:22:13

I was wrong.

SPEAKER_05: 1:22:14

Unfortunately we're gonna have to put this on the calendar folks because he was wrong. That doesn't happen often Wow yeah the the Scarlet McCall is more like a rainbow. Yeah it's a pretty pretty bird well I think that about wraps up the the pet positives there. But yeah it's a way off script I think um I think every nurse needs at least one creature who doesn't page them after 7 p.m agreed unless it's for treats all right class dismissed that's a wrap for today's session of nursing life 101 we hope this made you smile and maybe reminded you to give your furry or scaly friends an extra hug tonight.

SPEAKER_01: 1:23:05

You can find us on Twitter slash X at NurseLife L Y F E 101 or Facebook at nursinglife101 or Instagram at nursing underscore life underscore101 and tag us in pictures of your pets with hashtag nursing life pets for a chance to be featured on the next episode. Woo whoop until next time as you hear all the squeaking take care of yourselves take care of your patients and don't forget to refill the water bowl that's it's a very