Since joining Surface Creek Veterinary Center in November, Cheyenne Stone has learned a lot. She originally wanted to be a teacher but eventually decided on a different path. “If I couldn’t work with kids,” she says, “I decided to go to my next favorite, which is animals.” Now, she’s training to be a vet tech assistant. Her average day is a busy one. “I’m always trying to keep up with all the techs and the doctors,” Stone says. Throughout her shift, she handles animals, cleans rooms, and generally does anything else that's needed. Through training and observation, she’s learning new skills and is looking forward to practicing them on her own soon. “I’m definitely asking a lot of questions,” she says. Though she has always loved animals, it's Cheyenne’s first time working in a veterinary office. She particularly enjoys meeting the dogs, and she has learned a lot about the various breeds, characteristics, and needs. “I also love people,” she says. “So I like getting to meet the people who come in with their animals.” Her colleagues are great, too. “The girls here are awesome,” Cheyenne says. “All of my coworkers are so friendly. It’s a really comfortable environment, and everyone is always smiling.” She also appreciates the chance to work with Dr. Jeff and Dr. Susie who are “very welcoming and warm" and “run a well-oiled machine.” A Cedaredge native, Cheyenne lives in the family home with her parents, sister, and brother, all of whom she’s close with. She’s also engaged to be married in September, and she enjoys spending time with the “bonus family” she has gained through her fiancé. Best of all, she notes, “Everybody has a dog, and they’re all best buds.” Hers are Tucker and Tank, both heeler mixes, and Tucker, in particular, loves making new friends. Cheyenne believes she has found her calling and hopes her work at Surface Creek will lead to a long career helping pets. “Every day, you get to meet a new animal and create a new bond,” she says. That’s something she can see herself doing for a lifetime. LEARNING THE ROPES Meet Vet Tech Assistant Cheyenne Stone! The Best Companion
THE HEROES OF THE SEA Hu pback Whale Saves Scientist In the movie “Cast Away,” we see a whale notifying Chuck Noland of a nearby ship. The whale continuously sprays him with water to get his attention. Although this is a fictional story, what happened in “Cast Away” isn’t just movie magic. There are real-life stories about whales helping people in need. In 2018, a marine biologist, Nan Hauser, was swimming in the waters off the Cook Islands when she noticed a 50,000-pound humpback whale near her. For 10 minutes, Hauser swam around the whale while it nudged her with its head, bumped her with its belly, and swiped at her with its fins. At first, Hauser thought the whale was trying to attack her. But actually, it protected her from a 15-foot-long tiger shark on the other side of the whale. Hauser told the Daily Mirror, “I’ve spent 28 years underwater with whales and have never had a whale so tactile and so insistent on putting me on his head, belly, or back, and most of all, trying to tuck me under his huge pectoral fin … I was sure that it was most likely going to be a deadly encounter.” Hauser didn’t know the whale wanted to protect her until she returned to her team’s research vessel. This is when she noticed the tiger shark creeping nearby. This isn’t the first time a humpback whale has intervened to help another creature. In fact, the humpback’s altruism has been well-documented over the years to show how they benefit other species at their own cost. In 2009, Robert Pitman took a photo of a humpback cradling a seal while rolling out of the water. The whale had protected the seal from a group of killer whales. Pitman, a marine biologist, has analyzed 115 interactions with humpback whales and concluded that they will travel long distances in order to prevent killer whales from attacking, regardless of what type of animal the killer whale is pursuing. Whether this behavior is out of instinct, accident, or altruism, they have saved the lives of many aquatic animals and people. They are the heroes of the sea!
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