This week I bring you a very special Valentines’ Day inspired episode with Lilly Smartelli of The $5 Dog Wedding. While Lilly has accomplished some things that I usually cover on this show - such as publishing a book and getting publicity - the reason why I wanted to talk to her, especially this week, is because she’s one of the kindest and most selfless people I’ve ever met. I hope that her story inspires you to share love and joy with everyone you interact with. As women in the pet industry, we’re an extra compassionate group and we can use our influence to make other people’s and pets’ lives better. Before we get into the interview, I want to remind you that this February I’m asking you to share how much you love this podcast by leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. At the end of the month, I’ll pick one reviewer to win a $50 gift card to the Wear Wag Repeat Shop! To leave a review, just open the Podcast app on your phone (it’s a purple icon), search for Wear Wag Repeat, click on the photo of me and Lucy, then scroll down towards the bottom where you’ll find reviews. I promise it only takes a few minutes. I’ll love you for it and you could win a fabulous prize! (00:00) Intro(00:29) Participate in the February contest - leave a review and one lucky winner will get a $50 gift card(01:50) Introducing Lilly Smartelli(04:57) How the idea for Lilly marrying her dog came about(08:03) What Lilly felt getting her diagnosis as a nurse who delivers that news before(11:01) How the New York Times article came to be(14:27) The most delightful wedding announcement you’ve ever heard(16:23) What happened after Lilly’s story came out in the New York Times(18:45) What types of weddings Lilly writes about in her book(25:07) How receptive the dog mom community is(27:39) The power of puppies on Valentine’s Day(29:37) Where to find Lilly Smartelli The rest of the shownotes are at wearwagrepeat.com/podcast.