Meet Denise

I was born and raised in Suffield, CT and lucky enough to have grown up with horses, cats, dogs, guinea pigs, goats, chickens, ducks, geese, pigs and whatever wild animal found their way to our home. Needless to say, my love and devotion to animals was instilled upon me by my parents. My mom is an avid horsewoman and lover of all animals. My dad has always been my moms biggest supporter, as well as a true dog lover.

As a teenager, I was hired by vacationing friends and neighbors to care for their animals. They all knew that I put all of my efforts into keeping their animals happy and safe because animals are so important to me.
After high school graduation, I worked for a few years while going to school for an Accounting degree. Working in that field for 15 years has given me the knowledge and experience to run my own business now.

I have been an active member of
The House Rabbit Connection since 2003, a local non-profit rabbit rescue, serving as a foster home, hopliner, taxi to vet appointments, clerk, assistant clerk as well as on the board of directors. In 2007, I attended an animal communication seminar by local professional, Dawn Allen of
Dawn's Animal Connection in Westfield, MA. I am not an animal communicator, but I am very much in tune with most animals I meet and earn their trust very quickly.

Having cared for a wide variety of animals over the years, as well as volunteering where and when I've been needed, I am very comfortable and willing to care for your animal companions whether they live in your house or the barn in your backyard. Everyone will receive care on their schedule with the comfort of being at home.

Everywhere I go, I am on the lookout for an animal to make friends with. Driving down the road in town or while away on vacation, if I see an animal who wants or needs attention, I will do whatever I can to get him or her to safety as well as make him or her feel special.
From the day I was born, I have lived with animals - and as long as I am able to care for them, I always will.
It has been a dream of mine to work with animals all day, share their happiness and give them love. Now I am making that dream come true. People have told me that they see a connection when I work with animals; like I have a special bond with them. I hope that you will allow me to share this bond with your animals.
At home:
My husband, Bill, and I share our home with 7 cats, 1 rabbit, 2 chickens and 1 dog. All of our furry friends have been rescued in some way and have found their "forever" home with us...and I wouldn't trade their love for anything.
Hazelnut is a loving, playful girl who enjoys
lots of 'one-on-one' play time. After her summer
morning run in the backyard, she spends the rest
of the day sitting in the living room window watching
the wildlife in the backyard and soaking up the sun.
I adopted her in 1995 as a kitten.
Bridget is a real love-bug once she gets
comfortable with you. She thoroughly enjoys
being brushed every night. Her favorite
spot to relax on any given day is in one of her
plush window beds. She came to us in 1999
as an itty bitty kitty.
Friendly is a very shy girl who was an outdoor
kitty when she moved into our yard. For 10 years
she enjoyed the outdoors with her best friend, who
passed away in 2008, just before we moved. After the
move, she came indoor and is now learning
to play with us. She adopted us in 1998.
Lil Miss Misty (tiger) and Little E Hardty (tuxedo)
are an inseparable, energetic duo. When they're
not running through the house, they enjoy
cuddling together. Little E came to us in 2008
from a family of feral cats and Misty was
abandoned but found her way to us in 2009.

Sadie came into our home as a foster bunny in 2005
through The House Rabbit Connection. She had 6
wonderful years with her 'husband' before he passed in
June 2011. Sadie enjoys playing with Misty and Little E,
but now has a strong bond with me. We enjoy quiet
evenings together several times a week.
Orbit lived in our current home before we
moved in. His human companions planned to
travel and were looking for a new home for him.
Since it really is his home, I offered to accept him
as another member of our family. We have loved
him since 2008.

Otter (bottom) wandered into our yard one spring day,
let me pet him, and never left. He is our other guard kitty
who has learned so much from his outdoor buddy, Orbit.
A few short weeks later, came Torna (right), who I found
on the side of the road after the June 2011 Tornado.
She was in the same desolate spot for 3 days, so, I asked
her to come home with me. Bandy (left) was introduced to me
by a friend whose neighbor abandoned her. She and Torna are now inseparable. Otter loves watching over his flock - How lucky are they all?
Maggie joined our crew in November 2011. She
was living with 3 other dogs and had decided
that it was too much for her. Maggie is my co-pilot
for work and has adjusted very well to living
with 7 cats. She is making great progress
with being friendly towards Torna and Bandy.
I will introduce her to Sadie soon.
The animals pictured in my logo are some lost loves:
The dog is Chardonnay, one of my sisters dogs. 'Chardy' and I used to visit the local forest when I cared for her in my sisters absence. Whenever I visited her house, Chardy was happy to see me arrive and was sad to see me to leave. She enjoyed traveling with me so much that she even jumped in the trunk of my car once when I was unloading it! She was 14 years old when she passed away.
The Appaloosa horse is Sassy Britches K. My parents gave him to me when he was 16 months old. My mom and I broke and taught him everything he knew; he was my best friend. Growing up together, we went to 4-H camp, participated in local horse shows, enjoyed trail rides and took long walks in the field. He passed away just days after his
32nd birthday.
The bunnies are Peabody and Mousta. I saved Mousta in 2002 from a local private breeder then adopted her true love, Peabody (Bo) in 2003, from
The House Rabbit Connection. These bunnies showed me what true love and an unbreakable bond is all about. Although we had only 4 years together (due to illness) Mousta left a lasting impression on me and Bo left a stronger impression after our 5 years together when he left us to be with his beloved girl, Mousta.
The Blue Point Siamese cat is Jasmine. I swear she thought she was part dog; she grew up with 4 Miniature Schnauzers and even napped with them sometimes. She loved to travel - in the car and on an airplane. She was my lap warmer, crocheting partner, play & travel buddy, and best kitty friend. As long as we were together, she was happy. She passed away at the age of 14.
When an animal shows love to a human, I believe it should be accepted and cherished