I grew up in a home where pets were not a priority. Maybe the lack of a dog or cat prompted me to look out for the neighborhood pets and rescue every stray or injured creature I came across.Before ...view moreI grew up in a home where pets were not a priority. Maybe the lack of a dog or cat prompted me to look out for the neighborhood pets and rescue every stray or injured creature I came across.Before I finished veterinary school I was married. Within the next few years we had two children and shortly thereafter, we adopted our first cat. I had opened my veterinary clinic the same year I graduated, and while practicing small animal medicine and surgery with emergency visits and house calls as needed, I had too little time to sit back and enjoy my own pets. In fact I had been practicing for almost ten years before I was introduced to Max, the dog of my dreams, and became a truly devoted pet owner for the first time in my life. I have to credit this Doberman with opening my heart to all the pleasures and fulfillments a pet offers. Almost seven years later I adopted my cat, Kipper. Max had his first feline roommate, and I came to appreciate this fascinating and incredible creature. In fact, my story begins when Kipper enters my life.Five dogs, one cat, and sixteen years later I sold my clinic. My wife, Sharon, and I moved to Tucson where I resumed making house calls while working at a veterinary clinic. Kipper was 19 years old and in failing health when he passed away. We now live in Tucson where I continue doing what I love the most...making house calls.view less