OUR PEOPLE
Heather MacKenzie - Pet Care Provider
- Heather grew up in Northern Ontario surrounded by forest and wildlife. She has worked extensively in nature for over 15 years, monitoring environmental compliance and protecting ecosystems using her background in environmental science. She relocated to Southern Ontario and continued this work at Conservation Authorities in the region, preserving habitat for species at risk and hosting mentoring programs for secondary school students.
- As well as her encounters in the wild and childhood barnyard adventures, she has had furry friends at home all her life. She developed an empathy with animals of all kinds and sizes. Heather has been active in community work at Sari Therapeutic Riding and at Kids N Bits with horse programs for children. The company has jumped on board with the local community at the Paws-itively Elgin Show and by volunteering at Dog-toberfest. Both shows support pet outreach.
- The animals shown on our front page are both rescues - one through ARF and one DIY. Or as the saying goes..I was rescued by by my shelter pup! Heather loves animals and "walks the talk" in her daily life. They all now live happily in St.Thomas together with the family alpha, Walter Hohman (more on him later).
- Working in pet care since 2016, clients find their pets are quick to establish a loving bond with Heather and she puts them readily at ease. Over time, she is steadily growing a quality pet care team with reliable primary and backup care providers. The team's passion for their work is reflected in our galleries below and can be seen online in reviews on Google and Facebook. Heather has committed to pet care with a loving intensity to ensure animal safety and happiness wherever she goes!
Walter Hohman - Junior Pet Care Provider and Office/Media Co-ordinator
Newsflash! As of October 2018, Walter has been certified as a Junior Pet Care Provider for dogs. He has been fully trained in leash safety and various walk techniques. Recent upgrades mean he can administer pen-injected insulin and oral pet meds too. Walter continues to aspire to further care certifications at ALPC for 2019.
Behind the scenes, Walter is our tech-driven customer service expert responsible for new client intake - people love him on the phone! And - he lovingly handles print/web designs, social media & wordsmithing.
Also from Northern Ontario, he has a lifetime of pet experiences drawn from his hours filled with family pups, hamsters and guinea pigs. Walter's wildlife experiences involved squirrels, chipmunks, a colourful parade of wild birds and the occasional rescued robin.
(See Walter's Gallery below.)
Sherrie Goodwin
We are pleased to have added a new seasoned pet care specialist to our team. Sherrie got her start in cat rescue at St.Thomas' own Animal Aide just over 16 years ago!
She has been been a valuable backup care person for us in 2020, taking over on short notice for a number of urgent situations. Our pet clients love her! Sherrie is well-adapted to company standards and has shown much love for pup meet and greets for new clients recently. We happily announce she is a certified ALPC primary care provider.
Stay tuned next month for her complete profile. She is awesome!
NEW ~ CREATURE TEAM ~ NEW
Meet Kim & Ben
March 2019: Introducing our Creature Team - specializing in animals who squak, hiss and squeak, fly, scuttle and bounce!
Together, Kim and Ben understand
the special needs of your "creature" pets which can behave in unexpected and wonderful ways. They deliver care that respects each individual
creature's nature: a bird or a bunny ain't a dog and a lizard ain't a cat!
Unique and exotic animals need
to be gently approached and thoughtfully handled. These are not your regular pets and have a language all their own. Our team has hands on expert knowledge for feeding/diet, mannerisms and other sensitivities. Most of all, our team will always treat your animal friend as if they were their own.
Kimberly Jantzi - Team Leader
Kimberly is the driving force and adult supervisor
of our newest service that cares for your non-meowing and non-barking pet family members. Kim and her human family handle their own mixed herd of unique pets on a daily basis and are constantly learning. Non-traditional pets such as birds, bunnies and reptiles require expert knowledge for success.
Her home hosts two medium birds, a Conure and a Quaker - Pickles and Echo and two Giant Flemish Bunnies - Garry and Hector. Her zoo of devotion includes Jaxon the German Shepard (pictured at right), Myla the Labrador and Agatha the English Bulldog. The largest responsibility goes to Josie the Macaw in the "large bird" category - where animal personalities get big and bold and inspire a lifetime bond - with pets often passing between generations. Kim is our expert creature resource!
Kimberly is an uber-mother to her tribe of creatures (including Ben!) and is keen and attentive to their needs. She has two other children (one roaming and one still being nurtured) and a domesticated handyman mechanic Mark who also help attend to all the animals needs.
The photo resume at the bottom of this page thoroughly illustrates team leader experience for loving and caring for animals.
Ben Gaspar - Creature Assistant
Ben is a fully hands-on qualified zoo keeper!
He shares in the daily responsibility of caring for the herd of animals in his and Kimberly's home with the rest of the family. Ben's favourites are add-ons to the previous zoo list - Charlotte the Cat and last but not least - Allen the Bearded Dragon! Ben is a high school student gaining valuable job and social
experience with Animal Lovers PC while enjoying his love of creatures. Always paired with Kim right now, he will be fully bondable at 18 years old for further contributions to the overall team.
Ben is an enthusiastic, responsible animal lover aspiring to be a
certified care provider for all types of beasts.