Abstract

Hayley graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1992. Before that she was a licensed veterinary technician at Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. Upon graduation, Hayley worked for 3 years in a crazy-busy, small animal and equine practice and volunteered at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, RI. Hayley then became consulting veterinarian for Capron Park Zoo in Attleborough, MA while still working full time in private practice.

In 1995, she took an internship in zoo medicine at the Commonwealth Zoological Corporation (now Zoo New England) in Boston, MA where she has been for the last 12 years.

Hayley is married to a small animal veterinarian, Dave, and has two children: Grace who is 7 years, and Peter who is 5 years. Pets: a geriatric bull mastiff (Bobo); a pug (Norman); a cat (Nicolas), fish and sea monkeys! Plants—20 potted bonsai in training (her husband’s passion).

Hayley’s views on life balance are short and sweet:

1.  You don’t realize you are out of balance until you achieve it—then it is hard to function without it.

2.  Everyone’s idea of balance is very different—don’t judge.

3.  It is easy to slip out of balance, but it’s not the end of the world—you just have to get it back.

When she feels like she is losing her perspective/balance, she tries to think of these things:

1.  Try to spend time with and enjoy the people that you love.

2.  Remember: Life is the “dash” and fill it with good times and people you want to be with. (The dash is the space between the date of your birth and the date of your death on your tombstone.)

3.  Keep perspective—very important. The world doesn’t begin and end at the zoo!

4.  Keep shaping your life like a pie—with different aspects filling in as slices. Try to have a lot of these slices (work, hobbies, friends, family, etc.), so if one slice disappears, it is still pretty full.

5.  Stay away from negative energy (your own or others).