Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice & In-Home Euthanasia

I grew up in Broomfield, Colorado, in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. My love for animals was sparked early by my childhood pets—Siberian huskies named Smokey and Dusty, and a tabby cat named Spencer—and by listening as my mom read novels like Old Yeller and Bambi aloud to my brother and I. However, I didn’t think seriously about veterinary medicine until much later. I earned a bachelor’s degree in English and history from Regis University in Denver, followed by a Ph.D in Renaissance literature from the University of Notre Dame. I spent the next few years teaching 16th and 17th century poetry and drama, first at a small liberal arts college in Maryland and then at a large research university in California. 

While at Notre Dame, I volunteered at an animal shelter to escape the stress of dissertation writing, and began to wonder if I’d missed a calling to work with animals. However, it wasn’t until I experienced the loss of my beloved cat, Marlowe, after a year-long battle with cancer, that I decided to give up my academic career to become a veterinarian. The long drives to and from the referral hospital were harder on Marlowe than his treatments, and I promised him (and myself) that when he was ready, I would arrange for a peaceful passing at home so he would never have to ride in the car again. Unfortunately, the time came swiftly and unexpectedly in the middle of the night, with help too far away. I rushed Marlowe to an emergency clinic where he died almost before I could hand him off to the nursing staff. My grief and guilt at having broken my promise gave rise to a determination to honor Marlowe by training to provide pet owners in a similar situation with compassionate support, and dying pets ease from their suffering and a gentle and dignified passing. 

I began working evenings and weekends in a veterinary clinic, first as a kennel attendant and then as an assistant. Eventually I completed my undergraduate veterinary prerequisites and moved back home to Colorado to attend veterinary school at Colorado State University. There I fostered interests in oncology, internal medicine, pain management, and palliative care. I also served as a manager for CSU’s pet hospice program, which dispatched teams of veterinary student volunteers to perform in-home health assessments and offer emotional support for people with terminally ill pets. I was privileged to witness the loving bonds between these pets and their families, which seemed even more intense, complete, and sacred as the end came near. I found that my personal experience with the loss of several pets over the years, and the difficult questions these experiences raised for me before and after, were just as valuable to me as my clinical training in terms of caring for my patients and communicating clearly and empathetically with my clients. 

While at CSU, I met my wife, Ally, whose post-doctoral residency in veterinary clinical pathology at The Ohio State University brought us to the Columbus area. I learned from a former CSU colleague that Lap of Love had openings for veterinarians in Columbus, and I jumped at the chance to work with a wonderful team of professionals who share my passion for gentle, compassionate, in-home care for pets and their families. When not working, Ally and I love spending time with our assorted animal companions. We can be found hiking or camping with our crew of Siberian huskies (Jayne, Sochi, and Maya) and our Boxer mix, Homer, lounging at home with our cat, Lucretia, and a good book, or watching a good or hilariously bad movie, or a soccer, hockey, or football game. 

Pronouns: He / Him