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Just
Your Average Pet
Lover Story...
Hello,
and Welcome!
My
name is Deb, a hopeless pet lover and I live in Houston, Texas with my
husband Bryan, my son
Blaine, and my two dogs Sidney & Darby.
I've been involved with
animals most of my life; both as a pet owner and as a working
professional in the pet industry. Back in the 1990's, while living in
Washington State I ran a successful pet sitting service with my son
Blaine.
Our
Pet Sitting Business was born...
It
began as a part of our home school curriculum, with
the idea of teaching my son about money management and pet responsibility.
The little business grew to become an extremely successful and busy
venture.
Before becoming a pet sitter I had spent time researching the industry
and
analyzing the need for such services in our community. After acquiring
all the necessary licensing and bonding, we were in business.
I
joined an international pet sitting organization which trains and
supports pet sitters and immediately enrolled in their pet-tech
training course for professional pet sitters. This
training along with
pet first-aid
and pet CPR
gave me an edge among pet sitters in my
community. Pet sitting turned out to be one of the most rewarding
careers I had experienced.
Moving
Forward...
From
there I decided to further my training and experience with pets to
become a professional groomer. I was fortunate enough to be trained by
a Master Groomer and
later began working for her at her busy pet salon. This was not only an
exciting new area for me to work with animals, but I gained the skills
to groom my own dogs as well.
And
life now...
Currently
I'm retired and enjoy time at home with my family and my pet's. But
I've never outgrown the desire for more education about pets
or the joy of sharing life with them.
Both of my dog's Sidney (West Highland White
terrier) and Darby (Scottish terrier) are now in their senior years and
both suffer from serious health problems. A couple of years back Sidney
was diagnosed with sick sinus
syndrome (a heart arrhythmia).
The
trials & challenges begin...
At first we were told she wouldn't live long without a pacemaker. A pacemaker,
I didn't even know dogs could get them!! Sidney's
illness took us through a year long journey with veterinary specialists
and a variety of diagnostic tests. I began researching her illness in
order to better care for her.
It turned out that her disease
could be managed with medication, diet, and lifestyle changes and she
wouldn't have to undergo the risky surgery for a pacemaker. That same
year, she developed a problem with her eye's and we found ourselves
needing a specialist in animal eye surgery. She also
underwent surgery to remove a large benign tumor and abdominal
surgery for an obstruction.
Just as life seemed to
be returning to normal for Sidney, we received some troubling news
about Darby. During some routine blood work screening for her annual
dental cleaning, her veterinarian discovered she had liver disease.
After several tests and ultrasounds, she would need medication and a
prescription diet for the rest of her life.
The
lessons learned...
Despite
all my education and experience in the pet industry, we had failed to
see the value of pet
insurance while my pups were young and
healthy.
It would have saved us the added agony of having to even consider our
finances when planning their pet health care. Thankfully, our
dog's
medical needs were always our first priority.
However, through research I've learned that sadly, this isn't always
the case for some pets despite their owners desires. Many pets end up
being put
down prematurely for financial reasons. Tragically, many of them
could have lived longer if personal finances hadn't been a roadblock.
Looking
forward...
I'm
very fortunate to still have both by dog's despite all their
health challenges. My pet's have done so much to enrich my life and
have taught me what it means to love unconditionally and without
reservation! It's a blessing to be able to care for them now as they
age and give back to them just a fraction of what they've given to me
:)
It's
been through these trials that I began to wonder how many others were
going through the same challenges with their pet's and didn't know
where to turn for support or help. My hope in providing this website is
to create a community of pet lover's who, by sharing their trials and
experiences, can connect with one-another to offer support and hope, as
well as share their good times.
We're striving to provide
resources and information that the average pet owner might need without
all the medical jargon or textbook dryness that can be so cumbersome to
sort through. I invite you to join us on this journey through pet
parenting and pet care issues. Your comments, feedback, and
stories are encouraged and most welcome.
Click here to contact me...
Respectfully,
Deb, Sidney & Darby
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