By Ed Simmons, Jr.
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Megan Howard is going places.
And then, fortunately for Caroline's cats and dogs – and for the people who love them – Megan's coming back.
Next year the Caroline High School senior, who earned a 4.1 average and won the $1,000 Pamplin Scholarship, will begin her study of biology and pre-veterinary science at Virginia Tech. When she's finished with veterinary school – eight years from now – she wants to come back to Caroline Animal Hospital where she first volunteered while in the seventh grade.
At first she put in 12 hours, then 20 with the National Junior Honor Society. "I liked it so much I ended up doing about 297 hours," she said. She would walk the dogs, give them baths, and clean cages, making the animals comfortable on their quilts.
Then in the eighth grade when Megan turned 15, she got her work permit. Caroline Animal Hospital hired her and she's been at it ever since. Her duties have expanded – helping the vets and doing laundry in addition to her getting to know the dogs.
"I remembered the names of the dogs and could recall them better than the names of the people," she said. "Even today we've got dogs and cats coming in that I remember from when I first started."
Megan has three dogs of her own. "Buddy," a Newfoundland-Lab mix, is protective of the family and won't put up with nonsense from strangers.
"Titan," a purebred white German shepherd, looks menacing from a distance but hides from strangers.
"Lexi," a Chihuahua-beagle mix is Megan's "baby." She arrived at Caroline Animal Hospital in need of a home and Megan adopted her. Frisky, she'll bound up Megan's leg and jump up into her arms.
Why are dogs special, according to this future vet?
"They're always there to comfort somebody," Megan said. "They need to be taken care of. Treat'em like your kids."
Said the manager of Caroline Animal Hospital, Alex Grissom, "We definitely want to talk to her about being a vet here."