Pets are everything to their respective pet owners. As a pet owner myself, I can confidently say that my dog is a high priority on my to-do list. Pets have a way of providing mental and emotional support and overall companionship, something that busy lawyers need in their stressful lives. Pets can also provide a healthy escape from the hectic responsibilities of lawyer life. In particular, because dogs should walk at least once a day, dog owners have the bonus benefit of walking daily, which forces them to take a break from their computer screens and other work tasks. I take my dog for a walk at least three times a day; it’s his favorite thing to do!
My dog means so much to me that I actually co-authored an article for the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division’s publication a while back about the benefits of having a pet (Julie Houth and Ashley Kloenhamer, “Pet Your Stress Away,” After the Bar). Pets are similar to human children in the sense that they require care and attention; they need to be fed, loved, and walked (usually applies to dogs, but I’ve seen cat owners walk their cats!) and require regular visits to the veterinarian to maintain their health. Most lawyers have demanding work schedules and obligations, but what do you do when your pets suddenly fall ill and you need to take them to the veterinarian? This is where planning in advance and preparing for potential emergencies are key.
Stay Organized in Your Personal and Lawyer Life
While you can’t predict when something out of your control will happen, you can maintain an organized work and personal schedule just in case you need to attend to something other than your job, which includes taking your pet to the veterinarian.
My calendar saves me every time. I have three different calendars that are synced together on my phone. I can also access this calendar on my laptop. I highly recommend being detailed when calendaring tasks and also color-coding each task. Different colors help me make distinctions between high- and low-priority tasks and between personal, bar association, or work-related tasks. I also have reminders for certain tasks to ensure that I don’t forget them.
Separate lists help me, too. Sometimes, it’s easier to see everything that needs to be done in list form. I suggest making a list of emergency contacts for certain scenarios (e.g., emergency room visits) and including brief instructions just in case an emergency happens. This will help you calmly find the information you need to handle that particular situation.
If you have a pet, you should have your pet’s vaccination records and veterinarian information on hand or in a place that you can easily find. My parents also have my pet’s vaccination records and veterinarian information just in case something happens when they watch over him. Your calendars and lists are helpful tools that are meant to make your life easier. Implement these tools for your pet’s records, too.