Heather

My family always had cats and went through a collection of mice, anoles, red-eared slider turtles, guinea pigs, rabbits, and fish during my childhood. We even briefly rehabilitated two tiny snapping turtles! My father cultivated a love of animals in me from day 1. He would always catch snakes, frogs, and even newts for us to get a closer look. On some summer nights, he would fill a jar with lightning bugs as a nightlight for my sister and me.

In high school I took an excess of science courses, and I completed a BS in Biology at Central Connecticut State University. In my adult life, I have continued to love the outdoors and taking closer looks at bugs and critters on hikes. I really just want to know what everything is! I volunteered for a few years at Horizon Wings, cleaning the aviaries of their un-releasable raptor (owl, hawk, etc.) ambassadors and sometimes the aviaries of the injured wild birds being prepared for eventual release back into the wild. Through one of my college professors, I participate in the yearly Audubon Christmas Bird Count in Newington to help track of numbers and variety of bird species in Connecticut.

I came to MVC, replacing my job as a pharmacy technician for working with cats and dogs. I have loved every minute of it and can’t really imagine doing anything else!
Here at MVC, you’ll find me filling many positions in the building. I’m most often greeting and taking care of you in reception, but you’ll also find me assisting during appointments and behind the scenes, helping with your pets in the treatment area.
I strive to be a wealth of knowledge for everyone in my life, especially when it comes to animals. I get satisfaction from sharing facts, tricks, and tips with people who want to hear them, and I pride myself in being the friend that gets all the “What kind of bird/bug/animal is this?” questions. If I don’t know the answer, I find it and add it to my memory bank!

At home, my husband Zack and I have two cats and a dog. The cat first is a middle-aged brown tabby named “Enzo”. He happens to be one of the most fractious pets to visit MVC that I have ever encountered (see my blog post), but is an absolute Mama’s Boy at home. Because of my experiences with him, I am one of the people more willing to handle cats who are scared enough to be aggressive. We also have a sweet little orange tabby who was turned in by an MVC client after being found in Hartford at 4 weeks old. She is our first foster and also our first failed foster. We named her “Peach” after that client’s late Golden Retriever, who was just as sweet.

This year (2019), we finally adopted our first dog. We got Maisie from CT Herding Dog Rescue on July 1st and promptly fell in love. CTHDR got her started on some much-needed weight loss, and after a few months with us, she’s down to a healthy weight and is a happy, better socialized pup. We can’t wait to see what she teaches us in the years to come.