THE SHORT VERSION

I have over 45 years of experience working with animals. The majority of my career was as a veterinary technician, but I also have experience working as a shelter employee, a rescue foster, and a professional dog trainer. Combing my lifetime of experience with animals and my intuitive skill as an animal communicator gives me a uniquely comprehensive perspective to offer my clients.

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THE LONG VERSION

Like most people in this profession I’ve always been an animal lover. As a young girl I preferred stuffed animals to dolls and could often be found hanging out with the neighborhood dogs. Growing up I wasn’t sure what path my life would take, but I knew it would be working with animals. I simply didn’t consider any other options. My mother saw my passion for animals and encouraged me along the way. She enrolled me in my first obedience class with one of our family dogs when I was 12, and over the next four decades I continued to take classes with my own dogs. We always had family dogs and throughout my childhood I had all kind of small pets ranging from rabbits and guinea pigs, to fish, hermit crabs and lizards, and in high school a wonderful little ferret named Daisy.

After high school I got a job in boarding kennel. I spent all day with dogs and I loved it. I learned how to interact with all types of dogs by watching their body language to assess what they were feeling and used that information to gain the trust of a nervous or frightened dog or calm down an overly excited dog. I observed how different breeds often had different behavior traits and started studying breeds and behavior. I adopted my first rescue dog while working at the kennel, a 9 month old Whippet I named “Stickie” because he looked like a stick drawing of a dog.

After 4 years of working 7 days a week 365 days a year scooping poop, wrangling rowdy dogs and missing out on events with family and friends (the busiest times in a kennel are weekends and holidays), I realized I wanted something more and enrolled in a local Jr. College. After graduating I decided to pursue an additional degree in veterinary technology and while in school worked part time on weekends in a county animal shelter. Upon graduation I was immediately offered a job by the veterinarian I had interned with and started on the next phase of my career with animals as a veterinary technician.

I absolutely loved working as a vet tech, and the knowledge I acquired over the next few decades in addition to my shelter and dog training experience led to some volunteer work fostering for a few rescue groups, rehabilitating dogs for adoption. Before long I was managing a multi-dog home, and fostering 10 or more small dogs at any given time, along with caring for my own dogs, cats and birds. In 2003 I was asked to take over as president of a 501c3 non-profit dog rescue specializing in small dogs. I was particularly drawn to special needs and senior dogs and cats, and developed a sanctuary program within the rescue.

In 2012 I went through a divorce and decided to return home to the Chicago area along with my 15 rescue dogs. I was in my early 50’s and decades of physical work with animals had caught up with me causing some physical challenges that limited my ability to continue working as a vet tech. This meant my next chapter would also include a change of direction in my career.

Shortly after moving and getting settled, I enrolled in an obedience class with one of my dogs. I liked the facility and the owner’s training philosophy. As luck would have it, she was looking for trainers to expand her business. I completed a professional dog training certification program and was hired to teach group puppy manners and beginners obedience classes. I also held private sessions for dogs with behavior issues. I was enjoying my new found career and really hitting my stride when unfortunately the owner of the facility became seriously ill and had to make the heartbreaking decision to close the business. I took some time to consider my choices and decided this was an opportunity to focus on my own animals. With more free time on my hands I decided to explore integrative and holistic pet care to expand my knowledge base. I spent the next few years taking a deep dive into the holistic pet space and was fascinated by the different modalities. I started taking an integrative approach with my own animals using both conventional and holistic treatments depending on the situation.

Over time I began to feel like something was missing, and realized just how much I missed working professionally with animals and their people. I felt very strongly that I had more to give along with a lifetime of experience to share, but I wasn’t sure what path to take. I took some time to reflect and found myself wanting a deeper connection with my own animal family. That started my research into the world of animal communication.

After several months or researching everything I could get my hands on about animal communication, I discovered Dr. Cara Gubbins and instantly knew she was the one I wanted to study with. She is an incredible teacher and mentor. I enrolled in her Animal Communicator Academy and embarked on my path to train as an animal communicator. Graduating from the Academy was my first step on my new path and perhaps the path where I was headed all along, to help bring people and animals closer through animal communication. It is incredibly fulfilling work and a continuing journey.

I currently share my life and home with 8 rescue dogs, 2 cats, 4 birds and a tortoise. I continue to have a soft spot for special needs and senior animals.