Believing that disease is the result of imbalances in the body, I teach you how to use a combination of diet and herbs helping return you or your dog back to balance.. 

My Background - The Short Of It.

I've been working  one-on-one with dogs and owners for 20 years.  I learned about the power of plants from my father. He was a prolific gardener who knew what plants to use to help keep our animals healthy. This lead me to herbalism in my late twenties. I consider myself a Western holistic herbalist.

My practice has grown throughout the years encompassing the use of food energetics, western herbs, phytoembryonic therapy (plant bud medicine), spagyrics, homeopathy, essential oils, flower / crystal / mineral essences and energy work.

I have done apprenticeships with elder herbalists, taken key seminars with herbalists and healers helping me further my understanding of plants. Teachers like like Matthew Wood, Dr. Isla Fishburn, Sean Croke, Paul Bergner, Carol Trassato, 7Song, Dr. Joseph Carrillo, Joette Calabrese and Sajah Popham.

I’ve studied the works of Cheryl Swartz, Christopher Hobbs, Stephen Blake, Joe Rozenewajg, David Hoffman, EagleSong, John Gerard, Juliette de Bairacli-Levy, Susan Wynn, Barbara Fougere, Jim McDonald, Sean Donahue, Maya Tiwari, Michael Moore, Leslie Tierra, Michael Tierra, Thomas Garran, Gregory Tilford, David Crow, Phyllis Light, Dr. Christopher, and others.

Since I moved to Olympia, Washington, I've attended the Hawthorn School of Medicine with herbalist Sean Croke, worked with the late Carol Trasatto, and taught community herbalism classes. I continue my education as much as time allows out of clinic.

I wrote for Dogs Naturally Magazine for five years. I continue to write for their blog and others like Adored Beast Apothecary. I speak on canine herbalism and teach classes promoting holistic canine herbalism. I work specifically with dogs of all types and the humans that love them.

Yes, my practice encompasses working with both humans and dogs. Usually, people see how well things work out with their dogs and want herbal wisdom for themselves.

My Story - The Long Of It.

I grew up with my hands in the dirt.  I remember grabbing each plant in the garden as my dad worked his crops saying, "Daddy, what this?  He would answer and I would ask, "can I pick it?" I must have said this 200 times and he would just answer yes or no, explaining what each plant was as we went along during the seasons.  I would always pick helping my dad on the farm over being in the house.  My father used many of our farms available wild herbs and vegetables as whole plant medicine to support, cleanse and heal our horses, pigs, chicken and cows. 

My grandmother also used whole plant medicine in the form of herbs, poultices, tinctures and teas to raise her family of sixteen during the great depression of the 1930's.  Medical care wasn't accessible and she took care of her children independently with the occasional help of a midwife. Herbalism is in my blood.

Growing up in a rural environment, I spent a lot of time in the fields and forests learning what each flower was, where the tadpoles were and wildcrafting for my dad and my best friend’s mother. At the time, I didn't even know I was wildcrafting, I would pick what my dad wanted or my friend and I would roam around her property looking for her mother's wish list.

In my early twenties I studied Ayurveda and Buddhism. In my late twenties, I started my formal studies of plant identification, function, energetics, history and lore.  In 2003,  I began blending those studies with my love for dogs.  I have obtained most of my experience through self-study, working with other herbalists, nutritionists and my role as co-director of Music City Holistic Pug Dog Rescue. Together with dog expert Peg Harrington, we operated one of the first holistic dog rescues in the country.

When I was 32, I gave my life over to the fur and slobber when I opened a holistic kennel-free boarding facility on 36 acres in the Cumberland mountains. 

Above is a short video of me walking the dogs at my kennel-free boarding facility, Almost Home Pet Farm.  I loved spending my days with the dogs and herbs in the forest.

Shortly after this I began noticing the direct connection between behavior, diet, vaccination and glandular imbalances.  Through my work with my client’s dogs and all of our rescue pugs, it gave me the experience I needed working with difficult cases of disease and behavior.

For the next decade, I threw myself into my work, started making medicines, read every herbal book I could get my hands on, asked the locals about what they knew about the plants they used as medicine growing up (thank you Ralphston Overstreet) and began dedicating myself as a canine centered herbalist.

 In late 2005, I started Farm Dog Naturals, an herbal remedy company for the all-natural dog selling my remedies to local dog stores. In early 2007, I officially became an LLC with another dog expert, Lynn Higgins. Together we helped dogs and people have a more sustainable experience together through nature. We passed on Farm Dog Naturals to a new owner in late 2021.

It’s now 2023 and I’m thriving. I have a busy clinical practice in Olympia, Washington working with clients from all over the world, I make my own herbal remedies, teach herbalism every week through mentorship and local classes. I’m a speaker and writer. Currently, I am working on my second herbalism course and writing the first of three books on canine herbalism coming out through Inner Traditions Publishing later this year.

I’m so grateful for all of my teachers, both direct and indirect. I’m also grateful for all of my clients and students, as you have been a wealth of knowledge and reflection. You never stop learning.

The journey continues…