Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice & In-Home Euthanasia

I grew up in Warren, Michigan, just north of Detroit. As a child I loved science and math but had no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up. It all sounded good! My best friend's mom worked at one of the local hospitals and we would go in to visit often. In seventh grade, we volunteered there as candy-stripers, and I became interested in the medical profession.  

After graduating high school, I attended Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. After changing my major a few times, I graduated with honors with a B.S. in biochemistry. I started my career working in the laboratory for a tier two automotive supplier to Chrysler, General Motors and Ford. I ran quality control tests and performed some research and development. I quickly transitioned to the safety and regulatory side of the business, but something was missing. I didn't want to be behind a desk all day, staring at a computer screen.

I started volunteering on the weekends for a local pet rescue group, cleaning cages and visiting the dogs and cats. The time just flew by! That's when I decided I wanted to work with animals, and looked into veterinary school. I wanted to be sure I could handle the emergency aspect of Veterinary Medicine, so I volunteered at my local pet ER one Saturday. The plan was to come in for four hours; I wound up staying all day! And came back on Sunday for a full day. At that point, I was offered a part-time job: 9am-9pm Saturdays and Sundays. I accepted and worked 7-days-a-week for a while. The longer weekend shifts seemed to go by in a flash, compared to the normal 8am-5pm workdays.

I started my veterinary training in the fall of 1999, at Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, and graduated in spring, 2003. While the child in me loved the snow and Michigan winters with "snow days" home from school, the adult in me was not happy having to shovel driveways and scrape windshields. I decided a warmer climate was needed after graduating Vet School and moved to the Ft. Lauderdale area. While I didn't miss the snow, I did miss the changing of seasons. So, three and a half years later, I moved to Wilmington, NC: no snow and four seasons! Perfect!!

After working as an Associate Veterinarian for many years, I bought my own practice in Brunswick County, one county over from where I lived and pursued this endeavor for several years. There, I was able to concentrate on my interests: dentistry, ophthalmology, and internal medicine. After selling my business and taking some time off for a much-needed rest, I started doing relief work locally. Though, I still felt a calling for something new and different. That’s when I found Lap of Love. Here, I am able to use my skills to help pets and their people at a very difficult time in their lives. I feel very fortunate to be in veterinary medicine, where I have the option and privilege of ending a pet's suffering and bringing peace to the pet and their family.