Cool Kids: Volunteer hopes to turn passion into career

It is said that a dog is man’s best friend. Perhaps no one knows that better than 15-year-old Wyatt Armstrong.

The Timberlake High School student, whose career goal is to be a veterinarian, is beginning his third year as a volunteer at Hayden Pet Medical Center.

His passion and love for the animals he helps care for are evident as he begins his volunteer shift by greeting and petting all the animals at the center.

But as much as Armstrong loves all of them, one animal has stolen his heart more than any other – his dog Zeus.

“I love that dog more than anything in the world,” said Armstrong. “I’ve loved him always – even when he was a misbehaving puppy.”

The yellow Labrador purebred turned 3 in May and never leaves Armstrong’s side when he is at home.

“My dog expects me to go swimming with him every day on the weekend,” Armstrong said. The two enjoy jumping off the boat launch at Farragut State Park with Zeus nudging Armstrong until he grabs hold of his collar so the furry friend can give his owner a ride back to shore.

Armstrong , who enjoys Greek mythology, said he named his dog after the Greek god Zeus because of his coloring.

“I’m a Greek freak. I like to study Greek mythology,” said Armstrong. “I looked at my dog’s side, and it looked like a golden sky. The Greek god Zeus was god of the sky.”

As a volunteer at the animal clinic, Armstrong gladly does anything asked of him.

“His main job is keeping the exam rooms clean,” said Robert Schmiller, the lead certified veterinary technician at the clinic. “He also does a lot of shadowing and will help report vital signs.”

Impressed with the young man, Schmiller describes Armstrong as “super-intelligent,” adding that the youth has seen more in the field of veterinary medicine than most kids his age have.

Armstrong said he tries to makes the most of his time at the animal clinic by taking advantage of the research material available.

“I read books out of the library on dog and cat anatomy and medical procedures,” he said.

When Armstrong is not volunteering or playing with Zeus, he is busy with athletic and academic activities.

In his fourth year of golf, Armstrong took to the sport after being encouraged by his parents. Afflicted with aortic stenosis, which he describes as a shortened valve in his heart, Armstrong gets short of breath easily, so golf seemed like a good way for him to participate in athletics without the stress of running.

“I initially did not want to play golf,” Armstrong said. “But when I found out I can actually play, it was pretty good.”

Last year, Armstrong was one of three freshmen who played on the Timberlake varsity golf team, earning a letter. He has taken private lessons at Rimrock Golf Course for about three years and says he has improved quite a bit over the summer.

Armstrong also shows a talent for art.

He has entered some of his creations in contests including the Young Student Art Show at North Idaho College in May. There, he submitted a stippled work – a piece of art created by making dots or very short strokes – of the late musician Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Creating stippled artwork “is very tedious work. It takes a lot of patience,” Armstrong said.

He chose Vaughan as the subject of his artwork, he said, because he and his dad think Vaughan was the best guitarist ever.

To help come up with ideas for his artwork, Armstrong searches online for subjects.

“To find most ideas, I Google random words,” he said.

Armstrong said he looks forward to taking advanced art this upcoming school year.

In addition to sketching, he enjoys tempera painting, which he says allows him to create more detail.

With a 3.667 grade-point average, Armstrong lettered in academics during the first semester of his freshman year and also participated on the high school quiz team.

“Basically, it (the quiz team) is a lot like Jeopardy, but without the categories,” Armstrong said. “I learned quite a bit more than I thought I would. It knocks some sense into me about how smart some people really are. I may be smart, but I’m not that smart.”

While volunteer work, golf and academics would be enough to keep any young man extremely busy, Armstrong also enjoys playing pool, pingpong, air hockey and Foosball.

“And I still get bored,” he said. “It blows my mind.”