I have always been an animal lover, from the moment I could walk and tried to pull our family cats tail to get her out from under a table so she would cuddle with me. Throughout my childhood we always had a cat dominating the house, along with a boxer that was somehow always bullied by the cat, despite the enormous size difference.

I was the girl that took pity on the strays, begging my parents to let me keep them (I’m sure some of them weren’t strays but I still tried to bring them home).

As an adult, the first addition to my husband Dan and my family was Abbey. Abbey was a special dog that captured the hearts of those around her. She would greet us with a kiss every night, and “yell” at us if we were out of the house too long.

She adored our son Jack, and slept at the edge of the doorway when he was a baby. He of course loved the fact that he had his very own ride on toy. She was very protective of our little man. The love of an animal is shown at every age.

At the age of 6 Abbey became very sick, and did not survive. I truly appreciated the relationship between a pet owner and their veterinarian during this difficult period. The human animal bond has incredible strength.

Two years later we were ready for another pet. Theo, another boxer yet again, fit perfectly in our family. He is bossed around by our cat Jenny Gump, tries to sleep on the lap of anyone sitting down, but most important, has filled our home with a certain love only a dog can bring. I feel absolutely blessed that each day I can come into work and share the joys of a family pet with so many people.