For the love of our pets

I am avid animal lover and volunteer my time with several pet rescue organizations in addition to doing years of research on animal nutrition, health, and dog breeds and being employed by a major holistic pet food company. I also extend my love for animals by incorporating that aspect into my business as well.

I am looking forward to having discussions about the appreciation we have for our pets and the close bond we as pet owners cherish. I would like to honor that bond that you have with your pet and have discussions about your pet(s). I have found that as pet owners, we love to share our stories and learn from one another.

Let the conversations begin . . . . 

Having put several years of research into dog breeds, I rescued my first dog, Sophia, in September of 2001. After the attacks on 9/11, I realized how unpredictable life can be and my years of waiting for that perfect moment to get a dog were no longer a concern. I found Sophia on Petfinder in the "Classified" section. She was an adorable Yorkie mix and was used for backyard breeding. She was unkept and terrified. She had been abused by the male human in the home and also by the large dogs they kept inside. After making contact with the owner, we went to find her. Her address was on Orchard Lane. The first street we came across that day was Orchid Lane and there was a house matching the same description as where Sophia was located. We parked and knowing she was going to be left in the back yard where she normally was living, I entered and saw no dog. No one was home and I looked through the windows and saw no dog even asking the neighbors where the dog was. As that was in progress, I saw a street named Orchard Lane. There again was a house with the same description- gray siding, black shutters. Alas, we saw Sophia, who looked older than her six years, tied on a piece of 3 foot string to a stake in the back yard with no one home wanting to say goodbye. We took her and she didn't utter a peep. She was a mess and the nice people at PETCO close to our home gave her a bath and a grooming. Our new princess was born. It took her a small amount of time to overcome her fear of men and her feisty terrier personality started to shine.

Sophia was a joy to have and my first dog. She was groomed regularly and just had a great life with her other doggie friends. She lived the life and people commented that she won the doggie lotto. We enjoyed many years with Sophia until her unexpected passing on 12/31/09 which also was suppose to be a joyous day, the day of my son's birthday. It was a first experience for losing a pet, and I will never forget that snowy early New Year's Eve morning. It was a painful time, but eventually I learned to remember the great memories we had with Sophia and the lessons she taught us about love and patience. Sophia paved the way for me to continue to open my heart to rescue other animals in need.

We love you and miss you Sophia and hope you are having fun up at the Rainbow Bridge. Say hello to Hannah who joined you 16 months later. We were blessed to have both of you in our lives. 

As we go I would love to share my stories with you about my other pets and my experiences about rescue work and some of the challenges we faced along the way.

Looking forward to hearing the bond that you share between you and your pets.