Hello, nice to meet you, I am an animal lover.
In any personal description I have ever written, that's been in there somewhere. And animals seem to love me, too. It was only a matter of time before I found my true calling in life, spending my days doing what I enjoy most. For me, this isn't work, it's pleasure.
I was always the kid bringing home stray kittens, injured birds, orphaned rabbits. Lost dogs had an eerie way of finding me and would often just show up on my porch, patiently waiting with tails wagging "hi there, name and number on my collar, I know you will help me find home."
One of my earliest memories, the poor little bullfrog I found in the freshly mowed back yard. He had been hit by the lawn mower blade, bleeding, mangled...and barely alive. He spent the last few minutes of life in my mother's clean bath tub. I'll fix him, I kept telling her.
That was around the time that my curiosity for amphibians turned into an absolute passion. I spent every day I could outside in the warm weather finding and collecting frogs and lizards. As I grew older, my passion branched off into the world of reptiles as well. To this day, my favorite and most relaxing hobby is still getting out in the mud and finding frogs. This summer will be my second year as part of the Ohio Frog & Toad calling survey. I hope to spend this Spring & Summer studying Licking County's extensive Wood Frog population, and hopefully finding new populations of the ever elusive and endangered Eastern Spadefoot.
I have experience with many types of Dogs and small pets. Growing up our family had Spaniels, the coolest and smartest Black Labrador ever, a giant baby of a Great Dane with one bad case of separation anxiety, my beautiful Rot mix Tequila, Boston Terriers, Moe Moe the Genius Border Collie and one snappy little handful of a Dachshund. My best friend is currently an American Bulldog. My grandmother raised Beagles, Shepherds and Terriers. Man did I love her dogs when I was little! She too was an animal lover, the most genuine one I have ever met. I guess it's no coincidence that this rubbed off on most of her children and grandchildren. She showed me that all animals deserved to be treated with kindness, that wildlife deserved our respect and compassion, that caring for a pet wasn't a burden or something to tire of. Because animals were kin and pets were family, and that's what I will always believe. Thanks Grandma.
I think I owned just about every type of "pocket pet" I could as a child and teenager. We always had something in the house, mice & rats, rabbits, ferrets. I've raised and kept quite a list of amphibians and reptiles over the years. I'm currently on my 7th cat rescue and adoption to date.
I'm still that person who can't turn away an animal in need, can't help but feed a homeless cat. I'm that driver getting beeped at for stopping traffic to move a turtle. Still that person who takes a few minutes to check a wandering dog for his number home.
"The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.” -Thomas Merton
Certified through the Red Cross for Dog & Cat first aid & CPR and Insured through the National Pet Sitter's Association. Click on the Staff and Crew link to learn more about my helpers and our furry and feathered household here at the Critter Hotel!
In any personal description I have ever written, that's been in there somewhere. And animals seem to love me, too. It was only a matter of time before I found my true calling in life, spending my days doing what I enjoy most. For me, this isn't work, it's pleasure.
I was always the kid bringing home stray kittens, injured birds, orphaned rabbits. Lost dogs had an eerie way of finding me and would often just show up on my porch, patiently waiting with tails wagging "hi there, name and number on my collar, I know you will help me find home."
One of my earliest memories, the poor little bullfrog I found in the freshly mowed back yard. He had been hit by the lawn mower blade, bleeding, mangled...and barely alive. He spent the last few minutes of life in my mother's clean bath tub. I'll fix him, I kept telling her.
That was around the time that my curiosity for amphibians turned into an absolute passion. I spent every day I could outside in the warm weather finding and collecting frogs and lizards. As I grew older, my passion branched off into the world of reptiles as well. To this day, my favorite and most relaxing hobby is still getting out in the mud and finding frogs. This summer will be my second year as part of the Ohio Frog & Toad calling survey. I hope to spend this Spring & Summer studying Licking County's extensive Wood Frog population, and hopefully finding new populations of the ever elusive and endangered Eastern Spadefoot.
I have experience with many types of Dogs and small pets. Growing up our family had Spaniels, the coolest and smartest Black Labrador ever, a giant baby of a Great Dane with one bad case of separation anxiety, my beautiful Rot mix Tequila, Boston Terriers, Moe Moe the Genius Border Collie and one snappy little handful of a Dachshund. My best friend is currently an American Bulldog. My grandmother raised Beagles, Shepherds and Terriers. Man did I love her dogs when I was little! She too was an animal lover, the most genuine one I have ever met. I guess it's no coincidence that this rubbed off on most of her children and grandchildren. She showed me that all animals deserved to be treated with kindness, that wildlife deserved our respect and compassion, that caring for a pet wasn't a burden or something to tire of. Because animals were kin and pets were family, and that's what I will always believe. Thanks Grandma.
I think I owned just about every type of "pocket pet" I could as a child and teenager. We always had something in the house, mice & rats, rabbits, ferrets. I've raised and kept quite a list of amphibians and reptiles over the years. I'm currently on my 7th cat rescue and adoption to date.
I'm still that person who can't turn away an animal in need, can't help but feed a homeless cat. I'm that driver getting beeped at for stopping traffic to move a turtle. Still that person who takes a few minutes to check a wandering dog for his number home.
"The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.” -Thomas Merton
Certified through the Red Cross for Dog & Cat first aid & CPR and Insured through the National Pet Sitter's Association. Click on the Staff and Crew link to learn more about my helpers and our furry and feathered household here at the Critter Hotel!
