What started me on this path was my first girl Gracie. One beautiful November morning, unusually warm and sunny for this time of year, Gracie and I started on our regular morning walk. For absolutely no reason Gracie stumbled and fell in the first 20 minutes. As they say, “your gut knows“. I picked her up and brought her to my vet. After half a day of blood work and testing, I brought her home.

We laid around all day, and Gracie was very quiet and not herself whatsoever. My veterinarian thought she may have eaten something that didn’t agree with her. He kept in touch all day and told me if she wasn’t better in the morning, he would have me bring her to a specialist. That evening, Gracie had some sort of seizure and she died in my arms. My veterinarian came to my home. It was heart wrenching.

The next day he and I went over every possible scenario of “what could’ve happened”.  He told me, not for one minute and with all negative test results, that she would die. He said the thought never crossed his mind. Gracie was only eight years old. After weeks of going over every possible reason in my head, I asked him if he would mind if I got a second opinion. He thought it was a good idea. He sent Gracie’s records. I contacted a renowned veterinarian that I had been following. I was given a time and a date for a phone consultation and instructed to send Gracie’s recent test records. She talked with me for almost an hour. She was one of the most kind, compassionate and knowledgeable people I have ever spoken with. She convinced me there wasn’t anything different I could’ve done, and she set my mind at ease.

Months passed, and even though I wasn’t ready for another dog, my veterinarian convinced me to meet this reputable breeder. She had two pups left from her dogs’ litter.  I welcomed Annie who quickly had a place in my heart and her new forever home. Six months later my husband and I got Annie a sister, Louise.

From the beginning, Louise was my problem child. Unlike Annie she had every allergy known to golden retrievers. This is when I decided to start on this journey. I continued following the world-renowned veterinarian, along with my veterinarians’ approval, I started making homemade dog food. I followed all guidelines necessary for complete balanced diet. For the rest of my girls’ lives, they had wholesome homemade meals. Louise’s allergies quickly subsided and the health benefits I immediately saw with both dogs,

This is when I thought one day I would make this my mission. Pay it forward for the health of other dogs. My golden gal is now in reality. I truly hope I make a difference.