The Four Legged Friends behind our Team!

Luna Bee (& Diane and Eric)

Luna has been the resident office dog since 2018 when Eric and Diane joined the HVH team. In her younger days she helped with farm tasks like digging tulips. Now she is mostly an indoor doggo, attending meetings and dolling out hugs. 

Goose (& Nolan)

If there is anything you need to know about Goose he will always be cozy no matter what, that is his number one prerogative. His favorite food has to be cheeseburgers and he loves a good game of fetch with a football, but that quickly turns into him showboating prancing around and turning it into a game of keepaway!

Lucia (& Zach)

Lucia is my little Blue Russian mix. My friends rescued her and her two brothers when they were only a few weeks old. Their mother had passed so they needed to be bottle fed for weeks, but they made it! She's still a little fella and has always been the smallest and toughest of the litter. She is fast and agile and loves to hunt and chase, so naturally her job is keeping the house mouse-free. Her favorite toys are never the ones I buy. Instead, she always prefers fruit boxes to nestle into and shoelaces to chase around the house. 

Tonka (& MaryBeth)

I love looking back at this photo of Tonka as a puppy. He’s nine now and tips the scales at over 100 pounds, making lap-cuddles a distant memory. Though raising a Malamute has certainly come with its challenges, his sweet nature and striking good looks make every bit of effort worth it.

Mozzie and Bellatrix ( & Max)

Mozzie (short for Mozarella) is an endless fount of energy. Though he was born in Hawaii, one of his favorite things is a fresh snowfall. He keeps us perpetually entertained with his shockingly human facial expressions, his ability to fall asleep upside down and his knack for always finding a pillow to rest his head on. He may be a working dog breed but he sure has found a life of leisure.

Bellatrix is also from Hawaii and tolerates Mozzie to an extent. She can be quite grouchy one minute and then cuddled up next to you just moments later. She can't resist a fuzzy blanket or a small piece of yarn on the ground however her weirdest trait has to be her love of water. She loves to take a shower and will do everything in her power to make sure if the faucet is running, her head is underneath it.  

Miss Mae (& Shannon)

 A few years ago, I was months deep into a solo trek through our National Parks when I stopped in Iowa to visit a friend who raises working dogs she held Miss Mae for me to meet knowing we would work perfectly together even though I had not been planning on getting a pup at the time. She's been my shadow ever since. 

A Few of Her Favorite Things:

•  Miss Mae’s favorite food is officially "Whatever You’re Eating." She has developed award-winning begging eyes that could melt even the toughest critic.

•  When she isn’t getting a belly rub from anyone who accidently makes eye contact, you can find her intently "watching her shows" (the chickens) or hitching a ride on the tractor.

• For Miss Mae nothing beats a muddy field and a full-throttle sprint alongside the UTV to round up the cows. If she isn’t covered in dirt and moving at 20 mph, is she even having fun?

Layla, Cedar and Nelly Blue (& Lynn with Lady Z)

I care for a wide variety of animals, ranging from my own dogs, cats, and chickens to the various wild animals I work with as a wildlife rehabilitator and falconer. Highlighted here are my three rescue pups: Layla, a 17-year-old Pitty/Lab mix and the matriarch of the household; Cedar, an Australian Shepherd; and Nelly Blue, a Catahoula Leopard Dog. Both Cedar and Nelly Blue are seven years old and only a few months apart. While they are all certainly spoiled, they bring immense joy to my life every single day. I’d also like to acknowledge my late teaching partner, Lady Z, a Red-tailed Hawk that I had the privilege of working with for 12 years. She passed away in 2021, and she taught me many lessons.  She remains very close to my heart always.