VMCVM Staff Spotlight: Denise Wrigley
Denise Wrigley, LVT
Floater, Veterinary Teaching Hospital
When did you join the veterinary college?
April 2023.
What is your role at the veterinary college?
I am a Licensed Veterinary Technician floater in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
The best part of being at VMCVM...
Getting to see all the vet students learn and grow and growing alongside them.
Best advice I've gotten...
You only get to be young once so spend the time doing what you love and enjoy early!
My hidden talent...
I played bass in a metal band.
A person who has inspired me...
My Dad; he's always supported me no matter what I'm doing in life and has always just wanted me to be happy and successful no matter what that means or where I am.
Can you share a memorable experience or story from your time working with animals?
Fiona, a dog that was hospitalized for several days with severe liver injury (I believe it was Amanita toxicity) who got to walk out of the hospital wagging her tail and came back for a recheck just as happy to see me. The ones who get better despite huge hurdles make every single patient worth it.
What do you find most inspiring or fulfilling about working with students and helping them pursue their careers?
Seeing them develop their skills and grow more confident until they're ready to be doctors.
One misconception that all students seem to have is?
That you have to know everything the first time. You're all here to learn and it's okay if you don't know the answer to something. We're here to help you figure it out. It's okay to say "I don't know."
If I had a superpower, it would be...
Teleportation! It would be so much easier to get around if I could just teleport somewhere instantly.
If you could magically grant an animal the ability to talk, which one would you choose and what do you think it would say?
Dogs, they'll probably ask why they can't come with us every day to work.
Favorite way to end the day...
Just sitting at home with my husband and animals. Whether we're watching a show or just doing our own small activities, it's a nice quiet calm.
Top of my bucket list...
Going to Japan to enjoy all the food!
My favorite quote...
Demons run when a good man goes to war.
If you could communicate with animals for a day, what would you ask them?
I would ask horses why the *insert normal object here* that has not moved for months in their environment is now a scary monster that's going to eat them?
How many pets/animals live at home? Can you tell us about them?
2 dogs (Remy and Koda) and 1 cat (Ripley.) They're the best adventure buddies. The dogs love hiking and have gone camping and off-roading with us. Everyone was the perfect travel creature when we road-tripped across the country moving from California.
