"Follow me," I smile as I bring the client into the exam room, ready to see their pet. Slowly, the client drags out a small dog, weighing a mere 4.6 pounds. I'm smiling hard, seeing how cute the little puppy is, but quickly, I can feel my brow furrowing, my grin slanting down into a frown. The puppy is trembling, sliding across the exam table. I slowly grab the thermometer, ready to take the puppy's weight and temperature to get everything ready for the doctor when he enters the room. But right as I lift the puppy's tail to check the temperature, I feel a sharp pain on my arm, followed by a slow trail of blood rolling down. My co-worker runs over with a first-aid kit, anxiously asking if I’m okay. I nod quietly and I see the client in the corner of the room, shaking her head and deeply apologizing. Again, I feel a sharp pain. But this time, it’s not coming from my arm. It’s coming from my heart. As a vet technician in training, I’ve seen many animals, big or small, come into the clinic, terrified of the exam rooms. But even outside of the clinic, I’ve seen strays with horribly infected ears, flea infestations, and breathing issues. And the worst part is that sometimes those strays are found on the streets only to be put into overfilled shelters. Puppy mills were a horrifyingly inhumane sight until recently, when the New York State senate passed a bill to shut down the puppy mill pipeline. Having directly come in contact with animals in horrible conditions through my job, I’ve seen just how heartbreaking it can be to come in contact with an animal in need. And although I know that improving and looking out for the lives of our four-legged friends will be a long journey requiring universal participation, I want to work towards my dream of becoming a veterinarian and easing the problem through my own expertise as a future researcher and musician. Even before I started interning at an animal hospital to train as a vet technician, I had dreams of combining my experience and knowledge in music-making to a career in veterinary studies. What sparked my idea of incorporating music therapy into vet clinics was my various encounters with anxious pets, scared to even step through the door. Studies have shown that certain kinds of classical music tend to be the most calming for both humans and animals. With this, I hope to use my training in classical music to research the most soothing music types for animals. Although I originally intended to research the music for clinics exclusively, I hope to be able to extend my future research for not just animals that visit the clinic, but also animals outside of the clinic. With this, I hope to be able to explore a new way of bettering the lives of our pets. After all, their lives matter just as much as ours.