At The Drake Center, it’s no surprise our families are a bit…furry. From dogs and cats to horses, chickens and an emu, we’d like you to meet the loves of our lives—our pets. 

Proud pet parent: Peggy, Registered Veterinary Technician

Pewter (a.k.a. Pew), DSH

  • Otter, DSH
  • Macintosh (a.k.a. Mac), sheltie
  • Pippin (a.k.a. Pip), sheltie

If you had to choose, would you say you are a cat person or a dog person? Why?

I love both. One of my mottos is, “Every dog needs a cat and vice versa.”  I will always have a dog in my life if able, and if not, I will at least have a cat.

How did you get your pets? Why did you choose those particular breeds?

Of my current family, the first one I got was Pew. I had two senior shelties at the time, but my cat had finally succumbed to her multiple cancers two years before. I was ready for another and wanted to start with a kitten this time. Trying to find a gray female kitten was proving difficult, however. I had feelers out in the vet community and had made inquiries at various shelters. Rancho Coastal Humane Society happened to call when I was on vacation with information about two kittens, one a gray female. They held her for me until I returned home. My ride from the airport took a detour to Rancho Coastal, where I met her, filled out the paperwork and arranged her spay. She came home with me the following afternoon.

My second cat, Otter, was a client’s kitten. I helped with his first shelter exam and was very impressed with his friendliness, fearlessness, color (gray, of course!) and overall personality. I made a comment to the owner about what a cool cat he was and how I would have adopted him. When circumstances dictated finding the kitten a new home months later, the owners called The Drake Center on the off chance that the technician who was so impressed with him would help find him a new home (hopefully hers). Otter joined the family one year after Pew.

After my 9-year-old sheltie had to be put to sleep for a terminal illness, I had been thinking about getting a puppy to join me, the cats and my 16-year-old sheltie, Elf. I had been checking with sheltie rescue groups, breeders and watching for classified ads with no luck when I came across a post on the Internet about a 12-year-old collie. His photo spoke to me, so I called the rescue group and after some paperwork and a one-on-one meeting, Laddie was mine. When Elf finally passed, I was still looking for a puppy and found a classified ad for a litter of shelties in Apple Valley. I took home a male and a female—Macintosh and Pip.

What is special about your pets?

The dogs love people. At the dog park, they make a beeline for the other owners. Pip would gladly sit with someone all day. I plan to pursue therapy dog training for her.

Otter is fearless. He is right alongside the dogs when greeting visitors at the door and wherever I am, he is usually within a few feet, watching me. He is a little sentinel (actually, a big one!). He’s very tall.

Pew is a little love bug. She particularly likes to rub up against the dogs and they put up with behavior from her that Otter could not get away with.

What is the cutest thing about your pets, physically?

Their eyes. Especially when I wake up and four sets are staring at me, waiting for the first sign of movement before “mommy and me” time.

I also love the cats’ color. My very first cat was a gray kitten named Salt. Ten years later, I got another gray kitten and another several years later during my first job as a veterinary technician.

What do you let your pets get away with that you probably shouldn't?

Pew likes to suck on my sleeves. She will sit on the arm or headrest of my recliner and nurse on my shoulder or forearm. If I discourage her, she bounces back like a boomerang over and over. She sucks for about five minutes and then she is content.

Overall, the pets are very well-behaved. I love how the dogs will not go out an open door (in the house or car) until I give them permission.

What is your favorite memory or story about your pets?

I was taking Elf and Laddie on their daily walk when a nice lady came running out of her house to comment on how beautiful and well behaved my “puppy” and “her mom” were. I didn’t correct her.

Laddie was a great “dad” when the pups arrived. I think that was one of his final good deeds. He helped rear them and when they were doing well as dogs in a human world, he was ready to leave. What a blessing he was to us in his final year.

What do your pets bring to the dynamic of your family?

They are my family, as I have no human relatives in San Diego. They are there when I get home and they get me out and about.