Oh Behave!

I was born and raised in Roanoke Virginia, which sits in the Blue Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. It is breath-taking, and you can see mountains in every direction. While I've moved from my childhood town, I take pride in coming from such a beautiful and hospitable city. 

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a veterinarian. Like most vets-to-be, I had a love for all animals, as well as a fascination for science and nature. I remember reading the James Herriot novels (over, and over, and over) and thinking what an awesome job he had. There is a big difference between early 20th century farm animal medicine and the type of medicine I practice, and I like today’s methods better! 

After high school, I earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, then went on to attend veterinary school at Tufts University in Massachusetts. After deciding the snow just wasn’t for me, I moved to sunny Florida to pursue an internship in emergency medicine. Although my sojourn across the east coast was fun, the warm weather and beautiful beaches convinced me to finally put down roots in West Palm Beach.

During a decade of emergency work, I found that end-of-life care was just as important as the steps leading to that point. I’ve helped countless families with hospice and end-of-life decisions in emergency room and ICU settings. Many of these conversations are tragic, occurring in the aftermath of a fatal illness or serious trauma, but many others are with family members who have watched their pet decline over days, weeks, or months.

My childhood dog, an English setter named Katie, was my world, and everything I do—to this day—is to honor her. Katie’s body began failing when she was 15, while I was still in veterinary school. Over the next two years, I moved her across the country to manage her weight loss, poor appetite, incontinence, dementia, and other problems. With the experience I have gained since then, I look back on that time and feel I did her a disservice by not keeping her overall quality of life in mind. When I finally made the decision to let Katie go, I sat with her for a long time afterwards, holding her in my lap and petting her silky fur. I took solace in the fact that she was more peaceful than at any point in the previous years. That is the feeling I hope pet families feel when they are with their pets during their last moments. This experience also taught me important lessons about knowing when it is okay to say goodbye. 

Outside of veterinary medicine, I love kayaking, and taking my dogs to the beach. At home, I spend a lot of time in my garden—although my thumb is more gray than green. I can also often be found attempting to fix something in my house, when I probably should have called a professional. 

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