Shelby Carter

I attribute my success to staying true to my purpose, even when things feel extremely rough or hopeless in veterinary medicine. The biggest thing is remembering why I do this, what is important to me, the impact that I want to make, and staying true to that even on the really hard days when something does not go right or I am not able to help an animal the way I hoped. I have always known that I was put on this earth to serve animals, and I feel most myself when I am with them, listening to them, trying to help them, and trying to understand them. I was very lucky to find that passion young and to have support from my friends and family who always believed I could do this and never told me I could not. My values of compassionate care and respecting individual differences in human-dog relationships guide everything I do. In my research, I have learned the importance of understanding the context behind the numbers and not just ranking dyads based on quantitative metrics. Every dog is different, every owner is different, and every pair is different, and I think honoring that and meeting them where they are at is extremely important. My work has taught me humility and the understanding that there is a lot more than just the numbers when it comes to the bonds between humans and animals.

The best career advice I have received, especially going into veterinary medicine where it can be very difficult, is to stay true to your purpose. There are a lot of times when it can feel extremely rough and start to feel hopeless, especially when medically you are not able to intervene and help an animal, or when you are dealing with euthanasia, or even in research when there is a lot of red tape and funding has gotten more difficult. There are many things that can cause discouragement, and the biggest thing is remembering why you do this, what is important to you, and the impact that you want to make. Even on those really hard days when something does not go right, or you get a dog that is really struggling and all of the tools and skills you have learned do not always work because every dog is different and has different needs, the biggest thing is remembering what the purpose is, what the goal is, what the impact is, and how we can stay true to that even in the moments when it feels like it is not possible.

The interviewee advised younger women to overcome fear, take risks, and trust their intuition. She encouraged pursuing work that they genuinely enjoy rather than focusing solely on financial gain. She also emphasized the importance of authenticity, courage, and purpose-driven choices, reminding women to “block out the noise” from doubters and stay true to their path

One of the biggest challenges in veterinary medicine right now is the mental health crisis in the field. Veterinarians are two times more likely to experience suicidal ideation and suicide attempts than physicians, and there is a lot of compassion fatigue that we talk about in the veterinary world. In terms of research, funding has gotten more difficult, and societal opinions are changing in ways that unfortunately, due to some of the political environment, are sometimes changing in the wrong direction. There is also a lot of red tape to navigate. However, I see tremendous opportunity in the gap that exists in human-animal interaction research, particularly around the leash. The leash is ubiquitous, especially in Western countries where it is required in most places, but it is pretty understudied. There is research on the biomechanics and the force applied through a leash, but not a lot on the communicative value of it or the individual variability in what walks mean to different dyads. I think there is huge potential to reach owners who love their dogs deeply but struggle with walking competence, helping them understand that it is not a failure on their end or their dog's end, and that walking challenges do not reflect the strength of their bond. There is so little education on the leash and what is communicated through it, and I believe this research can make a meaningful impact by providing answers to questions that not very many people are asking but that are central to the field of anthrozoology.

The values most important to me in my work and personal life center around compassionate care and respect. I have been able to merge my work and personal life because this feels very personal to me - I know for a fact that this is what I wanted to do, and I feel the most myself when I am with animals, talking to them, listening to them, trying to help them, and trying to understand them. One of my biggest values is this idea of compassionate care, which means meeting the animal or the human where they are at and providing welfare-focused care that meets the needs of the animal. I also deeply value staying true to my passion and respecting the bond between humans and their pets. I believe in respecting that everyone has an individual connection with their pet, their own relationship, and their own routines. It is important to me to understand the context that goes behind the numbers, especially in research where it is very easy to lose that human element. I value the humility required at this intersection of science, behavior, and interaction, understanding that every dog is different, every human is different, and every dyad is different. Honoring and respecting those individual differences in the dogs, the humans, the dyads, their routines, what is important to them, and how they communicate is extremely important to me. I also value understanding that there is a lot more than just the numbers and metrics - there is meaning, purpose, and relationship behind everything we see when a dyad walks together on the leash.