Life Lessons I Have Learned as an Animal Ambulance Driver

For almost two years, I have been a volunteer at the DierenAmbulance Leiden (DAL). It has been one of the most inspiring and life changing experiences of my life. I always loved animals and took care of them whenever I had the chance. So when I had the opportunity to apply to join the DAL as a driver/co-pilot, I went for it. ?I have learned many lessons about myself and my ego, and also general life lessons that I would like to share here.

Barbara’s Top 6 Life Lessons as an Animal Ambulance Driver

Don’t give up on something you really want – When you volunteer for something new, you are excited and want to hear back quickly, and can be impatient for the waiting time. I am a pretty patient person, but had to wait about FOUR months before I was invited for an intake interview. My ego was causing me to stamp my foot after a few months and say, “Oh forget it. I am not going to wait around any more.” But I did wait and put my ego to the side and held on – and then I got the call to come along for an interview and the rest is history. If you really want something, it is worth the wait!

Some things that you make big and scare yourself, are not so big in the end As a DAL driver, you get the honor to drive a big yellow ambulance, similar to the medical ambulances you see driving by to help people in distress. ?I was in awe of this amazing car and what it signified to help animals in distress. I had to take a driving test to show that I could maneuver the vehicle in small streets in Leiden and other driving issues. No practice, no extra time behind the wheel of this big yellow truck – just step in and drive. I was SO nervous and thought I would NEVER pass. You have to parallel park and back the car up to park it. I made it SO big in my head that I didn’t sleep the night before. But with some courage and determination, I got behind the wheel, drove around with the instructor and passed the test. I learned that my feelings of “Oh, I could never do that…” were just not true. I named the ambulance Betty and now we drive around our area every Friday afternoon, rescuing birds, hedgehogs, cats and dogs. Be brave - go for that thing that makes you scared - might not be as scary as you think...

Ego wears off to humility – In the beginning, when I finally got my uniform and signed the contract, I was in training and rode with a very experienced volunteer. I thought to myself, “How cool am I to be a DAL volunteer?” My ego soared the first few months as I thought I was (finally) one of the cool kids. In our shades at a stoplight, little girls in the car next to us looked at us with wide eyes and I waved with my cool self and felt unstoppable. But over time, this euphoria and pride calmed down and turned into active humility – as a humble hero and not a rock star. Doing our thing with gentleness, care and strength. Be a humble hero.

Fierce determination I never knew I had – When we get a call to go rescue a swan with bird flu or a hedgehog trapped in a drain or a bat trapped in a utility closet, we just go. But when you are in the moment, you need to be focused and swift. I have discovered in myself a fierce, warrior determination to not give up until I have rescued the creature- even if it is on top of a roof, climbing over a fence, head first reaching down into a storm drain, across a rainy pasture or with a net on the edge of a canal. The adrenaline soars and when you succeed, it feels like a sugar high and makes you feel really alive – as humble hero.

Celebrates the rescues and not the one that swam away – As an animal ambulance team, we do our best to work with wild animals and birds who are injured or trapped somewhere. Most times we are able to catch the animal and bring it to our bird first aid center (Vogel Opvang) or to the hedgehog care center or cats and dogs to the local animal welfare center. But there are times when the swan does not want to be caught and swims to the center of the lake, or the goose gets through odown.ds and flies into the water or the cat climbs to the top of the tree and will not come down, or in the worst case, the bird we rescued must be put down . In these cases, we must let them go and let the next DAL shift try or call the fire brigade to come help, in certain cases. So, we must celebrate the ones we were able to save, not dwell on the ones we could not, and go on to the next calls for help. That is how we should see our lives – celebrate the good things and not focus on the one that got away…

We are all family as protectors and as animal neighbors – I always liked the statement that all animals, birds and all living creatures on earth have as much right to be here as we do. Many times, I have experienced a sacred moment when a scared bird or cat looks me straight in the eye, as if to ask for help or ask, “Why are you taking me away? ?All life is precious, so we must treat our small neighbors with kindness and love.

As a member of the DierenAmbulance Leiden, I have learned so much about myself and what strength and courage I have within me that I didn’t know was there. I have learned to work with people who are very different from me in background, culture and life perspective. You can make deep friendships when you drive an ambulance for 5 hours. But most of all, I feel it a great honor and privilege to be able to drive around in our cool yellow ambulance and have some great adventures and tiny rescues -making a difference in a different way.

About Barbara Rogoski. Barbara is an American executive and TEDx speaker coach living in The Netherlands for more than 30 years and is a passionate animal lover. If you would like to donate to the DierenAmbulance Leiden, here is the QR Code. You can contact Barbara at [email protected]