Book

First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself personally and professionally.

Professionally, my work experience in the funeral industry started in 1987. Most of my career was spent with Forethought Financial Services. However, the real driver of my pet-oriented mission started with the adoption of a mutt-puppy in 1989. Mico was the love of my life! Being incredibly familiar with the funeral industry, as Mico began to age, I found myself looking around to find the same types of caring services that I’d be able to have for her when she died. Needless to say, when she died in April of 2003, I still had not found a pet death care service or value-offering that was what I felt she deserved. Therefore, in 2004, I founded Pet Angel Memorial Center, the United States first standalone pet funeral home, in the Indianapolis, IN area.

Since then, it’s been a whirlwind. I’ve been honored to have been labeled, by many publications, the “United States’ most well-known pet funeral director” and “The Pet Loss Pioneer.” I’m even more honored to have earned the right to be viewed as a  leader within the world of Pet Death Care through organizations such as the NFDA, the ICCFA and numerous veterinary and vet tech teaching hospitals and clinics across the country. A proud time for me is when the ICCFA whole-heartedly embraced my proposal to start the Pet Loss Professional Alliance (PLPA), an association that is really raising the bar for the standards, ethics and educational
opportunities within the pet loss profession.