​Before I was a writer, I was a clinical therapist. I landed there through life experiences that made me want to understand relationships and myself better, but I struggled to feel authentically connected to the field. 

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I adopted my "soul dog," Tovi, while in graduate school; his companionship - the best twelve years of my life -  enriched my life in ways I could have never imagined. He was TRULY the love of my life, my once-in-a-lifetime dog. He gave me the best days of my life, and when he died, the worst.  EVERYTHING changed. My life split into the Before and After.  Months of debilitating grief passed, and I found myself on a journey to understand what I was going through and how to move forward.

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My curiosity led me to leave my career and become a Pet/Human Bond  Researcher and Writer. It's not a financially compensated job (I'm fairly certain I coined the name) born and fueled by my passion. I found that I can draw my clinical skills, just in a different capacity - to WRITE about our relationships with our pets, which, when it comes down to it, are not different from any other relationship. 

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I refer to my writing as “Pet Therapy Notes,” a name born from my habit of scribbling thoughts and insights in journals. Tovi spent the last few weeks of his life in a hospital where I wrote him notes about our life together, placing them in a Ziplock bag that hung on his cage. The bag also contained tiny rocks we collected on our countless hikes to remind him of those good days and hope for future adventures.

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Sadly, that day never came, but I discovered the power of the pen to paper when it comes to healing, and I want to share that with you.

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