Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice & In-Home Euthanasia

I grew up in a small town in Arkansas, and I knew from a young age that I would someday work with animals. Growing up, I convinced my parents to let me have all sorts of pets and farm animals. I have had a varied career, but I have always come back to my first love—caring for animals. I studied biology and psychology at Duke University, and earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. I had many exciting experiences during my college career. I spent a semester abroad living on a wildlife ranch in Kenya, worked as a laboratory animal technician for a few years after college, and completed an externship in Zimbabwe studying tick-borne diseases during veterinary school. 

After veterinary school, I accompanied my spouse on a Fulbright grant to Hungary, where I volunteered with a rural mixed-practice veterinarian. It felt as though I had walked straight into one of my beloved James Herriot books! We drove from one small village to another, where we castrated pigs, vaccinated the wiry, rough-coated cattle, and sewed up lacerations on the farm dogs. After every visit, the farmer’s wife would bring a bowl of hot water, a towel, and soap for us to wash our hands outside. Then the farmer and his wife would insist that we sit in the warm, sweet-smelling kitchen and eat cake and drink homemade peach or cherry vodka. As you can imagine, we were usually able to manage no more than two or three of these visits each day before staggering back to our own homes. 

After working at several small animal clinics in Yamhill County, Oregon, I took a break from veterinary medicine to run a small business that created educational and advocacy video-based products for nonprofit organizations. For 15 years, I traveled the world to produce training and documentary films, including a film on elephant conservation in southern Africa. But, I couldn’t stay away from veterinary medicine entirely, so with a group of veterinarian and technician colleagues, I co-founded a non-profit organization that provides free veterinary care for the pets of impoverished people in Portland. I led the organization as executive director for five years. 

In 2019, I purchased a mobile pet care company, providing personable in-home veterinary care for dogs and cats in the Salem area. I loved being able to see pets inside their owner’s home, where they are most comfortable and relaxed. Humane euthanasia is, of course, a part of any veterinary practice, and I was glad to be able to offer this compassionate service at home. Having been through the process many times with my own animals, stray wildlife, and farm animals, I have tremendous empathy for what people go through as they make this terribly difficult decision. I am so grateful and honored to be part of the Lap of Love family, so I can offer this truly compassionate gift that eases a pet’s passage over the Rainbow Bridge, while they are in their home, surrounded by love and family. 

In my spare time, I love working on our small tree farm, gardening, hiking in our glorious state, traveling, and spending time with my wife and current pets—a silly pitbull named Stella who loves sticks, and two cats, Dragon and Sir Racha, who hate one another. 

Pronouns: She/Her