The dog days of summer are already here. So are the cat days. “Approximately 12.6 million U.S. households got a new pet last year after the pandemic was declared in March 2020.” Because of this newly found puppy love, it’s increasingly difficult to get an appointment at the vet, where animal doctors were already stretched pretty thin before 2020 started raining cats and dogs. And this could remain a pet peeve for a while. Long story short, if you’re looking for a new career, “veterinary positions are projected to grow 16% by 2029, nearly four times the average of most other occupations.” AP: COVID-19 pet boom has veterinarians backlogged, burned out. My beagle Rye has been under the weather and his vet said the next available appointments are several weeks out (and I even tried puppy dog eyes). Animal health care is now basically the same as human health care.