Jennifer's Story | A Lifetime of Animal Care

My earliest memory of animal care goes back to my four year old self.  I happened upon a little blue robin's egg nestled in the grass.  I knew momma birds sat on eggs so, that is just what I did.  Although that was a terrible idea, I never gave up.  All throughout childhood, my spare time was spent catching frogs and turtles and turning my sandbox into an amateur vivarium. One summer,  I devoted my time to erroneously feeding two "pet" snapping turtles bologna off a toothpick and scrubbing algae off their shells.  It was incorrect but, it was still a childish attempt to care.  I now know the difference between a love of animals and a love for animals. 

But,  in 2003 an Osprey was brought to a clinic I was working in. This Osprey was "Ozzie" one of the resident pair nesting in the stadium lights at the Daytona Cubs Stadium.   He had been hit by a baseball intentionally. It was a national news story. Ozzie's trauma was severe. He eventually succumbed to his injuries. Our clinic was not a suitable rehabilitator.  It was then I became a permitted volunteer at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Central Florida.  After rescuing a bobcat that was hit by a car I transported him to a veterinarian that repaired his broken jaw. He was successfully released. I have raised over 300 orphaned raccoon babies. All being returned to the wild. I carefully repaired a hawk's broken wing and even sutured a pelican's gular pouch that was ripped open by a stingray barb. Upon release, a local marina kept him fed until he flew off.   I learned much about all these delicate, yet challenging wild creatures. 

While all these opportunities rounded my animal care experience, building a successful mobile grooming service has been invaluable. In 2005, I established my mobile service. With loyal customers, I dedicated  20 years to them.  A successful grooming session requires an animal to cooperate.  At first, I unknowingly trained pets to cooperate.  When both of us were on the same page, I realized I could influence their actions.  This was an eye opener for me. I studied training, behavior modification and animal communication.  Before and after  the grooming sessions I started impromptu training sessions. I wanted to see what we could accomplish together,  just for fun.  I stepped into a whole new world.  Rather than a boring groom we connected on a different level.  The animals showed me what I needed to know.  Even their bodies were telling a story.  I made observations about their health. When I shared what I noted with their caregivers, I found myself in deep conversations about their care. We discussed their veterinary visits or the lack thereof.  It is my nature to problem solve and much was lacking. For years each animals condition prompted me to seek further information.  I delved into Integrative and holistic care. This intrigued me.  I studied each condition previously diagnosed and cross referenced the observations I made. This opened my mind to the benefits of nutrition, naturopathy and communication. Some caregivers were open to my discoveries and they would pursue further evaluation through their veterinarians, as well as making some adjustments to lifestyle choices. The benefits were profound. 

• Dogs struggling with obesity regained their mobility through tailored lifestyle adjustments.
• Geriatric cats, previously dismissed as "just getting old," were diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and returned to vibrant health.. 
• Parrots halted feather-plucking behaviors through enrichment and optimized nutrition.
• Rabbits moved from cages to "bunny-proofed" free-roam environments, thriving on improved diets and engaging with enriched environments.

Nutrition became so influential, I took steps to attain my Pet Nutrition Coach Certification through NAVC.