In-Home Pet Euthanasia in North Dallas & Surrounding Areas

Easing the suffering of our best friends is my main goal at Lap of Love. My desire to help our furry family members originated from the passing of my grandmother whose quality of life slowly declined due to ALS. As I saw her in the hospital at the end of her life, I knew I wanted to help ease this suffering for our loved ones in veterinary medicine. Our pets deserve comfort and joy during their last days and I consider practicing end of life care my calling. During my adult life, I have taken care of many little creatures that needed help during their stay on our wonderful planet. My furry family included rabbits, guinea pigs, cats and dogs as well as orphaned hamsters, kittens and hundreds of orphaned wildlife (joyful memories you can ask me about that can help ease the pain). Currently, I have the pleasure of caring for my old Rat Terrier (Pepper) and my four cats (Falcon, Trixie and my newest additions, Klaus and Roger). Outside of helping animals and their loving families, I enjoy being outside with my furry and non-furry family, cooking and crafts.

I grew up in rural North Carolina with two dogs and a cattle farm next door. I’ve always loved animals and have wanted to be a veterinarian for as long as I can remember. I learned a lot as a child through bottle-feeding the baby calves next door, herding cattle, and raising rabbits. 

After graduating from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, I worked in many places, from the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area to Plano, Texas. Over the years, our family grew by two wonderful daughters. I spent several years in Austin focused on raising them before stepping back into my veterinarian shoes here in the DFW area.  

I’ve always enjoyed preventative medicine and educating pet owners about how to prevent disease, parasites, and behavior problems but when I went back to work, I realized that my patients were, on average, about 12 years old. That’s when I became interested in the importance of preserving their quality of life through dental care, weight control, and environmental modifications. When I heard about hospice care and Lap of Love from the Co-Founder, Dr. Mary Gardner, at a continuing education session, I knew I was meant to do this profound and incredible work. Making the last months more comfortable for my patients and helping their parents prepare for the inevitable farewell became my new focus. As a two-time breast cancer survivor, my outlook on life is drastically different now. I know what it’s like to be ill and preserving the quality of life and dignity of a pet is very important to me. I have always viewed euthanasia as a privilege because I can help our furry children pass with dignity and peace that humans are not always afforded. Being able to get their angel wings in familiar surroundings is a gift I can give them and their human companions. I truly am honored to be there for you and your family.  

I grew up in Amarillo, Texas, and have been intrigued by all types of creatures for as long as I can remember. Legend has it that I would lay outside on the sidewalk as a toddler and watch with quiet fascination as ants crawled along my hands and arms. I also ran a very strict catch-and-release program for any insects, spiders, moths, or other critters that found their way into the house. Not abiding by this policy resulted in an immediate reprimand with the biggest punishment my childhood self could think of at that particular time. (Typically something along the lines of "Go directly to your room. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.") It was a constant goal to build a menagerie of pets at home, and my wonderful family supported them all - wire haired Dachshunds, rabbits, salamanders, hedgehogs, spunky shelter pups, aquariums of fish, sugar gliders, as well as the occasional baby starling.

My passion only grew, and I loved learning about each new species that I could. I was ecstatic when I received an animal encyclopedia as a birthday gift in the 8th grade - an entire book chock-full of facts and pictures of exotic animals from around the world. And it was all mine to explore. I was certain that this was the height of luxury.

This deep love for animals and science led me to pursue a career in veterinary medicine from the very beginning. I participated in special programs in high school geared toward animal science and volunteered at veterinary clinics whenever I could. I was also fortunate enough to be able to combine my love for animals with my passion for archaeology by excavating a 2nd-century Roman fort and analyzing the animal bones that were discovered there. As my journey progressed, I graduated from Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine and moved back to my hometown to begin my career as a general practitioner in small animal medicine.

Throughout my time in general practice, I began to realize that the moments when I felt the most helpful and fulfilled were the times when I could help pets and their families find peace and comfort in end-of-life care. Saying goodbye to our beloved pets is one of the most difficult times, as they give us such joy and unconditional love. This passion to help families through this process led me to Lap of Love, where I am honored to be able to help pets make a peaceful transition within the comfort of their home, surrounded by those who love them.