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| Fiona |
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| Milla and Morrocco |
From Susan;
I have no children of my own...my pets have always been my children. ❤️
From Marko:
My wife and I have been married for almost 31 years now. She had never had dogs but always wanted one. Even before we got married we got our first yellow lab. Had 5 additional labs over the ensuring years, unfortunately several passed from cancer. 6 years ago we had lost our last best friend and thought we could never go through it again. But time passed and the pain dulls and we started seeing lots of puppies on Facebook. We got the bug….ok I got it and she put up with it. We were very lucky to get our best friend ever, Riptide. For the past 18 months he has grown and gotten more sweet every day. He’s smart, goofy and utterly affectionate and loyal. He loves to go on walks with me, we talk all the time, he tries to talk back. He’s funny and knows it and it has lifted my heart on many occasions and is a joy to wake up to in the morning. While at times he can be a bit mischievous and I get exasperated with him he then does something that melts my anger. He is the best dog we have ever had and we have had some very good companions over the years. How can you not look at this face and smile? I dare you!
From Susan;
Our first family dog, was the result of much begging. We went to a 'shelter' in the country. My brothers liked the cute black and white that was scared of her own shadow. My dad, ever the RAF officer, had words with a large noisy German shepherd, but I wanted the sandy dog, chained to a pile of sand. I won. All the way home we got lectured about walking, and bathing, brushing, finishing with, "he's not coming in the house till he's had a bath"
So in the pool outside, we bathed him. He came out sparkly white, with 3 tan patches. The most beautiful border collie, he lived till he was 17 🙂
From Autumn (vet tech here at Jarrettsville Vet, mom to Hamilton);
Two of my sweet boys- peach will always always hold the biggest spot in my heart. He has not had an easy road what so ever and we have learned that nothing is perfect and to make each day a memory. 🧡
little ham has forever changed my world and I am so grateful that the individual brought him into work and that Cindy came and got me right away! I won’t ever forget Dr. mags face when I held up my floppy little fish.. she looked at me like I was absolutely crazy, but knew that she’d be right there with me learning the world of ham.
Both of these orange babies have taught me patience and to just know that everything will be okay. And for that I’m forever grateful to be in the veterinary field helping dogs & cats everyday ❤️
From Suerena;
My father was an avid animal lover and made sure we grew up with them in our lives. Our cats and dogs were family members, not pets. As an adult, I’ve been fortunate enough to continue that with my children. Animals teach us kindness, forgiveness and unconditional love. That look of love in their eyes when they hone in on you is unmatched. We raised, loved and eventually had to let go of too many babies but somehow our hearts remained open to do it all over again. This is our Odie. He was special. He saw your heart, knew what you needed and when you needed it. He was truly one of our children. We were honored to love him and be loved by him for almost 17 years. My heart still hurts and it’s been a little over a year since we lost him. We’ve opened our hearts once again and adopted and I know she won’t be our last. Because our lives are not complete without the barks, meows, purrs and licks that these precious babies give us.
Thank you for loving our pets as much as we do. You’re a very special woman with equally special people that you surround yourself with Jarrettsville Vet. You’re welcome to share if you like.
From Linda;
This is my baby Paulie (Paul) we adopted him from a local animal shelter this past January when he was roughly 6months old. He was an early birthday gift. Only the best gift ever!!!! He is sweet, loving, very affectionate, funny & just fills our hearts & our home with Joy. He really keeps us laughing with his crazy antics. We had 3 boy brother cats that we raised from babies. & after our George died , our home was very empty & just void- missing that special spark & love that only having a furrbaby can give. He has helped heal our hearts. I became very ill last summer & spend a lot time in bed/@ home. He stays by my side on those though days & makes me laugh & makes the hard days have some joy.
So to me, having a pet is having unconditional love & joy.
From Dolly;
My little Missy means the world to.. Adopted her 7 years ago and never a day goes by I don't thank the Lord I found her. There are so many precious little fur babies out there just waiting for a loving forever home. Please consider adoption....You will never be sorry.
From Sue;
I have always had pets. As a child, I had ducks, gerbils, rabbits, cats, dogs, guinea pigs and I even hatched a killdeer (bird) that was abandoned in a nest. We also had a dog that we got from the Humane Society. He was not socialized and crazy as all get out. I remember the first day we had him. He stole the dinner off the dinner table. As an adult I always had dogs and cats. I really didn’t intentionally get them. They found me. Of course I loved them all. As I got older dogs became harder because of my illness so once my last dog died, I only had cats. Those always found me too and they were wonderful. I don’t know if I’ve ever gone very long without having a pet. My last pet, Tigger help me through a very difficult time in my life. He was the sweetest, most caring, I don’t want to say human because sometimes humans are not nice, but he just had this quality about him that we just seem to communicate in a different way. He understood when I did not feel well and stayed with me the entire time. When others did not understand my illness, he did. I still miss him. It’s been nine years and as I write this, I am tearing up. I did not want to get another pet after he died of kidney disease. He really had a hard time. We had to give him fluids and he hated it. He didn’t feel well, and he didn’t like what we were doing, but he always cooperated. Not too long after he died my daughter rescued two semi feral young cats and they needed a home. I was not ready but they needed someone and so as it had gone many times before I took them in. They are very sweet and I love both of them and I wouldn’t have it any other way❤️
From Rebecca;
This is the middle of my 3 pups, Hunter. He's been with me through a really tough few years( extended family estrangement, mom died, etc). He helped me through every day with his joy and his unconditional love. He's struggling through some serious health issues now but still has moments of joy. I've got you, my sweetest boy💜
From Jennifer (Jarrettsville Vets business administrator);
Johnny Cash ❤️ Because of him I learned puppies do die in shelters right here in our own backyard. I found my way back to Rescue, and found my voice for these animals who do not have a voice. Because of him my family has fostered over 100 dogs and puppies, and countless cats over the past 10 years. And because of him I met all of you at JVC. He is my daughter’s best friend, our constant protector, and a dog who’s paws will never be able to be filled. There have been countless times when I want to throw the towel in on this Rescue thing, but I look into his eyes and remember there are many other dogs, just like Johnny Cash, who are waiting in the shelter for a family to call their own too.
I’m quite sure that is why Zorro found his way back to me; so that when Cash is gone I will look into his eyes and find my purpose there too. 🐾
From Jayne;
They say our pets are an extension of ourselves, and I believe there is a lot of truth to that. And through that bond, they take us on many adventures, provide us with endless joy, help us create connections with others, and give us a sense of purpose.
My journey started at age 53 when I got my first dog. All my life I’ve had multiple cats and wanted to experience being a dog parent. I still have 3 cats, but have expanded the household to include 3 dogs. I honestly cannot recall my life before dogs, and will never go without ever again. How could I have lived so long without having a dog?
My first was a Weimaraner puppy (Chloe Marie who is 2 1/2). I resorted to a breeder after trying to get a dog, any dog from local rescues for almost a year. After the 4th “we don’t feel you are a good fit,” I did what I said I would never do and lined the pocket of a breeder. Chloe brought me so much joy that it broke my heart how sad she was every day when I went to work. A friend of mine told me about an adoption event at Petsmart, and although I was looking for a smaller lap dog, for some reason I just knew I needed to adopt this Great Pyrenees who is the best dog and we call Marty.
6 months later, being so in love with both of my dogs, I decided I needed to volunteer for this rescue that easily let me adopt my baby girls best friend and brother. Needed to pay it forward so to speak. First I found myself unloading stinky dogs at 5 am., then a few hours later cleaning out poopy crates, telling people about the dogs, and facilitating meet and greets. When you make that human/dog connection and see how happy the people and dogs are when they are United you fall down a rabbit hole of dog rescue, and there is no coming back.
Which brings me to dog number 3, Buddy. Buddy was my 5th foster, and he was an epic fail. He was a 5 year old Wolfhound/Pyrenees mix that had been a working LGD, had been taken into protective custody with 52 other dogs and was still recovering from being attacked by a pack of Coyotes. There was no way I was going to let that dog take another 18 hour trip back to Texas. It took me a while to get him out of the car and into the house. And probably a good 3 months to see him come into his own. But I knew however long he had left on this Earth, he was going to be with me. The entire dynamic in the house changed. He had a calming affect on my Weim, and my Pyrenees had someone to patrol the perimeter of the backyard with. I would take him to the dog park with the Weim, and on the rare occasion when he had a Zoomie all the regulars in the park would cheer. He doesn’t have Livestock to guard anymore, but there are chickens on the other side of the fence. He always goes to that part of the yard and simply sits there guarding the chickens he has never seen. But he is safe now. Retired, and is very nurturing when I bring fosters into the house. We all have a purpose and a role in our little pack here. These 3 guys have connected me to more people and provided me with more joy than words can possibly express. Here is a picture of Buddy, my rescue puzzle who I am still piecing together 9 months later. Little by little we find the pieces, together, each and every day.
From Donna;
These are my babies, Jackson sitting up and Sugar Plum lying sternal. I adopted Sugar Plum in October of 2014 by direction of my Mom who was recovering from heart surgery. Mom could tell I was missing my fur baby Jessie who I lost in June. Mom passed away December 29th, but she fell in love with Sugar Plum. In July of 2015, Jackson adopted me unexpectedly and we all fell in love. Since January of 2019, I've been dealing with severe injuries sustained at work and without these two beautiful souls, I think I would be insane. There is a reason DOG is GOD spelled backwards. The unconditional love is beyond words but my heart is so full. Thanks for listening and thanks for all that you do for your pets, patients, and clients. ❤
From Susie;
This is my 9yo Springer Spaniel Poe. I love him so much and he is my little shadow all day long. He follows me wherever I go around the house and yard. I talk to him constantly. He is very well-trained and always eager to please. A true pleasure to be around. We enjoy our daily long walks to the creek where he loves to swim. I hope he lives forever. I can’t imagine my life without Poe.
From Donna;
You can often judge how a man will treat you by how he treats animals. When my husband and I first met he had Sady, a black lab/German shepherd mix (100 pounds of dog). She was the smartest, most well behaved dog I had ever met and she was the love of his life. And he was hers. She went almost everywhere with him. I had Duo Maxwell, a pure bred papillon who was dumb as a box of rocks but I loved him. My husband swore he was not a cat person but in 2009 we found Chessie in the woods behind his parents house. Chessie was about 3 weeks old and had been bitten by a snake on his paw. We originally took him in just so we could get him to a vet and then find him a home. Now the old man is 14 and even with some health issues still going strong. We lost Sady the same year we got Chessie and he helped heal my husband's broken heart. We lost Duo in 2018 and I don't know who mourned more, my husband or Chessie. Fast forward to March 2020, I had seen a skinny black cat wandering the field next to our house. When I mentioned it to my husband he said "don't feed it, we don't need another cat". He went out one Sunday evening to get firewood and there it sat on our front porch. Within minutes my husband had a bowl of water, a bowl of food, and a box with a blanket in it for the cat outside. By the next weekend he had built a platform for the box to sit on so that it wasn't on the cold cement. By the following fall Tuxedo had a house with a ramp, shingled roof, insulation board, and a heat lamp. He also gets a fan in the summer. He lives better than some people! Tuxedo prefers to live outside but he is a total lovebug. My boys (as I refer to Chessie and Tuxedo) are our life. They depend on us and we vow to take care of them until their final breath. Sure, sometimes life would be simpler (and cheaper) without pets but their unconditional love and companionship makes it all worth while. I just wish they could live forever.
JVC, thank you for what you do for all of the animals that come through your door. I am a huge fan of Hami!!😄
From Sherry;
My kiddos have brought me so much joy, laughter, and love. I learned about rescue through the adoption of my first poodle Bentley, and I've been volunteering for over 20 years now. All of my pets have been rescues. They are the greatest loves of my life, and I will forever be an advocate and voice for animals. This my Roo. Today is his 6th birthday!
I grew up with rabbits, cats, three dogs, snakes, a cockatiel. I read James Herriot’s books until I’d nearly memorized them. I was one of those young horse girls who swore she was going to grow up and be a vet. Vet turned to pre-med, pre-med led me to Latin, Latin led me to Archaeology and archaeology took me all over the world. My life of transatlantic moves, six weeks in Italy, six weeks in Scotland, hoping from project to project in England, the Netherlands, Turkey. I was certain there was no space for pets in that life. But every time I saw a dog on a walk in the hill where I happened to be digging, I’d stop and chat and eventually befriend dog and owner for some sad surrogate dog experience-anything I could get! But life changed. I came back to MD, accompanied by a British husband whose most notable family pet was a gerbil they lost after two weeks. He was overwhelmed by my family’s multi-large-dog household. After a year of living here, and the growing certainty that we would not be moving off-continent, it was my husband who started lobbying for a dog. Mourning my past life of cliché archaeological jetsetting, I thought a dog would ‘tie us down’ and resisted.
We got Nausicaä ‘Nausi’ (far left) (I chose this for my future dog during my very first Greek class, she’s named after a character in Homer’s Iliad), my perfect heart dog. She is compassion and quiet joy in 51 lbs of cream golden and I was wholly unprepared for just how deeply I would love her and how much she would prove how open I could be to loving and caring for another living thing. Friends joke that I love Naus more than my husband, they aren’t wrong. She came to me at a time when I wasn’t being honest with myself about how broken I was by the loss of my ‘past life’ across the ocean. She gave me something to focus on beyond ruminating in the past, living a half life disappointed that I wasn’t always somewhere else.
From George;
I was the owner of Georgie ( yellow lab) he had diabetes and wasn’t expected to live very long. He had been getting his shots by me only and on time. Anyway he lived 6 more years before he passed away at Belair animal hospital. He waited for me to get there and be with him when he took his final breath. Broke my heart. My late wife decided to get another dog ( pit bull terrier) Posey to help me get over my broken heart. 4 months later my wife died and Posey was her dog ( 4 months old when we got her. Animal rescue for $500. That dog never left my wife’s side and slept in her lap . Today Posey is going to be 2 yrs old and loves everyone. Loves kissing people. She plays with the cats outdoors and has her own cat inside the house. They play and chase each other. I’m working on trying to get Posey to be like Georgie was . Go for morning rides in my truck but she won’t be still even harnessed to the seat. She’s a good young dog and loves her walks around the property. And is always sniffing around everything. She tired herself out and comes over to take naps laying on my lap. At night I kiss here good night and she sleeps all night. Until I get up then she waits for me to kiss her good morning and tell her I love her. I’m going to be 75 years old ( 5 days ) after Posey’s birthday.
Why did I ask for all of these? Because I think it is imperative that we all remember our Why. Why we always see our work as being the most sacred of responsibilities. Why when we have those little choices in a tiny room, where life is hanging in the balance, that you can make a decision to be more. More than you have to be, more than the rest of the world expects you to be, and yes, just enough to be a hero,, to that pet and that person who adores them as their whole world.
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| My inspiration. This little girl loves her kitten, who she named Baby Ketchup, just as much as I always have, and always will. |
When my days are long, hard, heart-breaking, and grueling I remember why I am here, and how important what I do is.
There is more to come. More on why we have to be more to all of those we ate sworn to serve. More on how we can advocate for our pets even when it seems that the profession holds all of the cards. Why transparency is lacking. Why we have abandoned our ability to fight for a patient. Why it is easier and still profitable to euthanize instead of provide the needed care. And why we can convince ourselves that we should treat everything, offer a plan that costs more than it should, and seek compensation regardless of the degree of futility we almost always know it provides.
Vetmed comes from a place of humble beginnings. We are now a place being consumed by venture capitalists with no rules, no boundaries and a whole heart of emotional influence that will bankrupt a pet parent if able.
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