I have been so lucky that, during my life, I have always had amazing animals around.  Dogs and cats have always been there, along with many other species, their lives overlapping with each other, filling our lives with fun and joy, and sometimes challenges and heartbreak.  For me, one of the main pleasures is watching them all interact with each other, seeing what makes them happy and how they can be content and comfortable.  What choices do they make, how do they cope with life’s challenges and still retain their joy and enthusiasm for the next event?  I have been hugely blessed, each and every one has shaped who I am today and how I view my work.  Animal behaviour has always been my life and my hobby.  How lucky am I that it also my career?  Such a privilege and an honour.  My hope is always that I can help people and their pets to feel more understanding, more happiness, and more joy together.

Other than the stick insects, I’ve only included the animals with names.  That means that I’m not even going to mention the ill-fated sea monkeys or endless tadpoles which came to us each year, on their journey to my neighbour’s pond.  I still hear frogs in her pond in the spring evenings.  I like to think that they are descendants of those tadpoles, from long ago.