My Story
Most children love animals and I was no exception. One of my three brothers bought me a rabbit (Dasher) when I was six, he also bought one (Bugsy) for another of my brothers, which to my sheer delight resulted in several rabbits... (too many to name!)  

To this day I remember the cold winter mornings spent cleaning out hutches with my Dad (now a very fond memory since his passing), not everyone's cup of tea I'm sure, but I did love to see how Dasher, Bugsy and their multiple offspring enjoyed snuggling down into the little nests that I had provided for them and there my passion for animal care began. 

For years I nagged my Mum stupid for a dog and now looking back I guess that four children, two working parents and several hutches full of rabbits wasn't really the best environment to bring a dog into, so imagine my absolute delight when my parents reluctantly agreed to take care of 'Max' (an 18 month old Alsatian) for a friend while he was on holiday for three weeks... THREE WHOLE WEEKS!!! I loved that dog with all my heart and I must have been his shadow for the entire length of his stay but alas after he'd eaten the fence, destroyed the washing line and dug up the garden it was time for him to go home. That moment sparked a life time ambition to have my very own dog. I often think about Max and wonder what he would think if he knew what an incredible impact he'd had on my life. 

When I was 11, I decided that I would set up a small business venture during my summer holidays, a way to keep busy and earn some money so I grabbed some paper and pens and designed my own flyer 

"Are you going away?" 
"Do you need help with your pet?"
"Call me now to find out how I can help you!"

That summer I filled our garage with my neighbour's hamsters and gerbils and I spent many hours visiting fish, cats and rabbits in their homes, never had there been a better summer for me. I should have known back then that pet care was my calling but once the school holidays ended schooling took over once again. 

Over the years I've had the pleasure of caring for so many animals, animals that I'm so pleased to have shared parts of my life with, some planned like my many rabbits, some not planned like my first duck (Donald, who laid an egg and soon after became Quackers) who I rescued from being fed to a snake at a pet store and the second duck (Chicker) which was brought to me by my niece after she found her Mummy-duck-less by the stream in Wantage.  

My most unplanned pet was Newman, my amazing Newman, the cat who found me! Newman was an exceptional boy, he actually belonged to my neighbour but he didn't seem to appreciate the other two cats and two dogs living in their household so he spent all his time with me. Fortunately, my neighbour was also a friend and she was happy for me to take care of him, I was 21 when he came to live with me and for the next 16 years he was my best friend and my shadow until he passed away at the amazing age of 24! 

So, going back to Max and my lifelong ambition to have my very own dog. It took me until I was 30 to fulfil that ambition but boy it was worth waiting for; India my first dog was a Springer/Lab cross, she brought me joy each and every day, and my desire to spend more time with her rekindled my Pet Care Business (the one I started when I was 11) and my passion to learn more about animals, in general, took me back to college to gain my pet care qualifications and keeps taking me back to learn more and more. India passed in June 2022 at 12 years old. I was totally devasted, and her loss sits with me every single day. 

Then comes Jasmine, Jasmine is another Springer/Lab cross who joined us in 2016 after we lost Newman. Jasmine is as crazy as a box of frogs, her zest for life is infectious and you can't help but fall in love with her, even if she forgets how big she is and still likes you to carry her!  After losing India, Jas was joined by Ivy in August of 2022. Ivy is a beautiful Springer Spaniel who is into EVERYTHING... she insists our bed is hers all the toys are hers and all the food is hers etc, etc. She hates walking on the lead because that's just not conducive to chasing birds... cats... leaves... or anything else that moves. But, she is fantastic company and her eyes will melt you if you look into them for too long. She and Jasmine are a lovely antidote to the loss of India. 

All in all, you can see that my life has been filled with pets, pets of my own, my neighbour's and my friend's pets and I'm fortunate now to be surrounded by them in my family too, Flinders, Trixie & Jasper to name but a few, they all feed my passion and all now benefit from my business, The Happy Paws Partnership. 

Credit should go to five other people; my Mum and Dad for putting up with my puppy dog eyes every time an animal needed a home and my daughter, son and husband for supporting me in my animal madness! 

Kristina
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