goodbye Scooter

I was going through some childhood papers before our recent move, and came across this letter I wrote after the rather tragic death of my first hamster, Scooter, when I was about eight:

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animals and "aminals"

I just posted this story about how I came to be so involved with animals and animal welfare on my personal page, along with some other pictures ...

As a boy I was fascinated by anything animal, or “aminal” as I called them well into kindergarten.  I went exploring for whatever insects, feathers and small carcasses I could find, and back inside I pored over any books I owned or could find on my grandparents’ or library shelves.  I put together ambitious reports, for school and on my own time, on subjects ranging from butterflies and hamsters, to dinosaurs and endangered mammals.  My family thought I was destined to be a veterinarian, and I thought I would grow up to work in a zoo.

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