Why Dr. Amy Pike is fearless and fabulous
When dogs experience behavioral problems in Virginia, their owners often turn to Dr. Amy Pike for advice. With her guidance, dogs who were experiencing issues with aggression can be saved through medication and retraining.
There’s no doubt that Dr. Pike has saved the lives of thousands of dogs who might have otherwise undergone behavioral euthanasia.
Despite her importance in the field, her decision to specialize in behavioral studies almost didn’t come to be. Dr. Pike originally worked in the army, taking care of military dogs. She might have stayed in the military her entire career had it not been for her husband, who was also in the military.
Related: Get our free guide to dog behavior
Just 6 months after getting married, Dr. Pike was scheduled to be sent away from the base where she had been stationed, where her husband couldn’t follow. The idea of being unable to see her husband for years made her decide to leave the army so she could continue to be with him.
Since a veterinarian can find work anywhere, but a history major can’t, they made the decision for her to leave the army instead of him. This change is what lead to her leaving the military and starting a residency in behavior. It awakened her passion for behavior, and has been one of the most rewarding career changes of her life.
Although Dr. Pike loves what she does, if she had to make a career change away from veterinarian it would not be a difficult decision. Dr. Pike would choose to become a zookeeper instead without a second thought.
Zookeeping involves many of the things she loves in the veterinary field, including training and behavior. Many of the things veterinarians can do to help zoo animals can only be done thanks to the training done by the animal’s caretakers.
Some of the best advice Dr. Pike has ever received is to never care about an animal more than the owner does. This is a hard piece of advice to learn, but important when it comes down to animals visiting for behavior reasons.
Although many aggressive animals could potentially be saved through medication and management, Dr. Pike has to realize that she’s not the one at home dealing with it. She doesn’t have to way the risks between children and pets, or deal with the aftermath when things go wrong.
If an owner isn’t willing to take those risks or live with an animal that could potentially be saved, she doesn’t judge them for that choice. This judgement free approach to working with the owners of dogs that have extreme behavioral issues has allowed her to help owners no matter what their end decision is for their pets.
Dr. Pike believes one of the biggest problems facing the veterinary industry today is the ability to balance life and work. Dr. Pike has a great number of pets, two kids, a husband, an elderly mother-in-law who needs care, a business, and still likes to do research every now and then. She’s also the mentor for 4 residence at her work, and is an author.
As you can imagine, balancing all this is a real struggle. She especially struggles with finding time for self care. Dr. Pike finds working with a therapist to be a great way to help cope, and recommends it for others in the field.
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