Meet Our Caring Team in Toronto
Our compassionate team of veterinarians strive to increase or maintain your geriatric or terminally ill pet's quality of life. We want to ensure your pet can be as comfortable and pain-free as possible. We will help you prepare for your pet's eventual passing and offer our support during this difficult time. Take a moment to learn more about us and why we chose to dedicate ourselves to veterinary hospice medicine.
Dr. Faith Banks, DVM, CHPV, CCRT, CPLP
Dr. Faith Banks graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in 1996, and has been practicing veterinary medicine in Toronto, Ontario ever since. While working in a busy downtown veterinary clinic, she became interested in geriatric medicine and pain management for pets while caring for her own geriatric Bernese Mountain Dog, Smudge. After learning about the developing area in veterinary medicine called animal hospice, Dr. Banks knew she had found her passion.
She has completed numerous courses relating to geriatrics, animal hospice, pain management, canine massage and trigger point therapy. She has completed a Pet Loss and Grief Companioning Certification course through Two Hearts Pet Loss Center, in addition to certification as a Pet Loss Counsellor through the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement.
She is amongst the first group of veterinarians to be named as a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Veterinarian (CHPV) through the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC). Dr. Banks joined the IAAHPC and attends its conference annually to expand her knowledge of hospice care and continue providing exceptional care and service to her patients. She has written two chapters in a textbook called "Treatment and Care of the Geriatric Veterinary Patient." She is a guest lecturer at the Ontario Veterinary College for the Art of Veterinary Medicine course on animal euthanasia. She completed her certification as a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist through the Canine Rehabilitation Institute. Her goal in providing compassionate in-home palliative, hospice, and end-of-life care is to allow people to strengthen and lengthen the bond they share with their much loved pet.
When not working, Dr. Banks enjoys photography, travelling, reading, cottaging, collecting vintage flea powder tins and spending time with her friends and family. She shares her home with her husband, 3 children, and 3 Bernese Mountain Dogs: Riyal 14.5 years old, Maple 10.5 years old and Elsie 3 years old.
Learn more about Dr. Banks' mission:
5 Questions with Faith Banks, DVM, CHPV, CCRT, founder of Midtown Mobile Veterinary Hospice Services
Toronto doctor creates mobile veterinary service for geriatric, end-of-life care for animals
Dr. Karen Stekel, DVM, CHPV
Dr. Karen Stekel graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in 1997, and has been practicing companion animal medicine ever since. After well over a decade working in busy Toronto animal hospitals, she joined Dr. Banks at MMVHS in 2013 and has found her passion working with families to provide compassionate hospice and palliative care. She feels extremely honoured to have the opportunity to do such important work, supporting pets and pet caregivers through the challenging geriatric and end-of-life periods.
Dr. Stekel is proud to have become a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Veterinarian (CHPV) through the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care, and is thrilled to be among the first cohort of veterinarians to earn this distinction. She also has certification as a Pet Bereavement Counsellor through the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement.
When not working, Dr. Stekel enjoys volunteering at her children’s school, reading, traveling, spending time with family and friends and making visits to a local geriatric care facility with her St. John Ambulance certified Therapy Dog, Lennie Briscoe. She shares her home with her husband, 2 daughters and their 3 cockapoos, Lennie Briscoe, Rafael Barba (Raffi) and new pup Matilda (Tilly).
Dr. Sarah Pechmann, DVM, CHPV
Dr. Sarah Pechmann grew up in the Greater Toronto Area and discovered a great love for animals at a young age. She has always been fascinated by the unique and fulfilling bond between humans and animals. She has shared her home with all sorts of animal friends over the years, including chickens, rabbits, hamsters, a turtle, and of course dogs and cats.
Dr. Pechmann is a graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph. Prior to joining Midtown Mobile Veterinary Hospice Services, she worked full time at a busy local veterinary emergency hospital in the GTA. She joined the MMVHS team in 2017 and found her true passion in animal hospice and palliative care. She is delighted to be a part of such a dedicated team. Dr. Pechmann greatly values being able to support pets and their families through the changes that come with aging, long-term illness and end-of-life care. She is deeply committed to providing guidance and compassion during these emotionally challenging times.
Dr. Pechmann is a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Veterinarian (CHPV) through the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care. She is also certified as a Pet Loss Bereavement Counsellor through the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement.
In her free time, Dr. Pechmann enjoys gardening, reading, testing out new recipes and exploring the community with family and friends. She shares her home with 2 mischievous cats; Tumbleweed and Max, and a Mioritic Shepherd named Fred.
Dr. Alana Flim, DVM
Dr. Alana graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) at the University of Guelph in 2018. Since then, she has spent several years in emergency and general practice. Ever since attending a lecture by Dr. Banks at OVC, Dr. Alana has been taken by the compassionate field of veterinary hospice. She loves being a part of the team here at Midtown Mobile Veterinary Hospice Services; pursuing her passion to support and care for humans and pets alike.
Dr. Alana believes in making our elderly pets as comfortable as possible in their later days. She believes strongly in the human animal bond, and has a heart to see that bond thrive. Dr. Alana is honoured to walk alongside her clients during times of stress and difficult decision making.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband, friends and family. She also enjoys time outdoors hiking, camping, horseback riding and sailing. She is the proud owner of a rescue cat named Beep Beep and a mutt named Walter.
Dr. Laura Kenzie, DVM
Dr. Laura Kenzie graduated in 2019 from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts, West Indies, and completed her final clinical year in Dublin, Ireland, which allowed her to combine her love of travel with her dream of becoming a vet.
After graduation, she started working in small animal general practice and quickly developed an interest in pain management, which led her to complete her certificate in acupuncture. Through her work in pain management and acupuncture, mostly on older animals, she developed a passion for palliative care as well as helping families navigate end-of-life decisions. When she learned of Midtown Mobile Veterinary Hospice Services, she knew she wanted to be a part of such a great team doing such important work and joined the team in May 2022.
On her days off, Laura enjoys reading, hiking, live music and riding her retired racehorse, Spaghetti. She currently resides in the rural Milton area with her two cats Johnny and Clementine.
Dr. Kate Zimmerman, DVM
Dr. Kate Zimmerman grew up in Montreal, then moved to Kingston, Ontario where she graduated from Queen's University with an honours degree in biology and mathematics. After graduating from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in 2010, she moved to Toronto where she has lived ever since.
Dr. Kate has been practicing companion animal medicine since graduation, where she discovered a passion for helping pets needing palliative and end-of-life care. She believes strongly that this difficult time should be made as peaceful and pain-free as possible. She sees in-home visits with Midtown Mobile Veterinary Hospice Services as the gold-standard means to providing this level of care to senior and ill pets.
Dr. Kate lives with her two senior dogs, Rigley & Bee, as well as her two daughters and her husband. She is fluent in French and English, and is happy to communicate with you in either language. Dr. Kate enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, hiking and swimming in her free time.
Dr. Amari Patel, DVM
Dr. Amari Patel grew up in Etobicoke, then lived in Guelph for 8 years before graduating from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2022. In her final year of vet school, she completed a rotation with a mobile veterinarian and was amazed at how relaxed pets seemed to be during house-call appointments. Shortly after graduation, she began working for that same mobile vet, seeing cats, dogs, and even birds, which she has had a long-standing passion for. After performing full-service home visits for nearly 2 years, Dr. Amari has developed a special interest in providing palliative and end-of-life care to all species, whether they have fur, feathers, or scales. Along the way, she has realized that one of the most rewarding aspects of being a vet is being able to witness the deep love shared between humans and their pets, from the tiniest budgie to the tallest Great Dane, even after their passing.
Dr. Amari was lucky to share her life with 2 very sweet cats when she was younger, and now lives with her husband and 9 birds, which includes chickens and parrots. In her free time, she enjoys Ontario's natural beauty and wildlife by camping at her favourite provincial parks, hiking local trails, foraging wild plants and mushrooms, and of course, birdwatching. Her current goals in life are to one day become a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Veterinarian like many of the other vets at MMVHS, and to travel to Australia, which is where she was born.
Dr. Brad Henderson, DVM
Dr. Brad Henderson grew up an hour north of Toronto on a hobby farm, where he learned from a young age that he had a great love for animals. Much of his childhood was spent playing and interacting with the many cats, dogs, pigs, and chickens that would come and go on the farm. He is now extremely lucky to be in a position to help not only animals, but their human companions as well, and is thankful for this every day.
Dr. Henderson graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2021. After graduating, he moved to rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to practice as a mixed animal veterinarian. It was here that he learned that he had a passion for mobile veterinary work, in particular by providing humane and compassionate end-of-life care to animals on the island in an area where it is sometimes difficult to access this service. Dr. Henderson is very excited to take the skills that he has learned and continue this work with the amazing team at MMVHS in the GTA. His heartfelt commitment is to provide compassion and empathy as you navigate the loss of your pet.
When not working, Dr. Henderson enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, exercising, or just generally exploring. He also loves to play guitar, read, watch movies, and go snowboarding in the winter. He shares his home in Guelph with his wife and son, his scrappy Cairn Terrier, Badger, and his two cats, Ari and Zilla.
Dr. Shannon Shum, DVM, CHPV
Dr. Shannon Shum found her passion for animal hospice care after shadowing Dr. Faith Banks, owner of MMVHS, during her time as a vet student. This experience helped to shape her career as she went on to become a Certified Hospice & Palliative Care Veterinarian (CHPV) upon graduating from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2019 and has since joined the team at MMVHS to provide compassionate end-of-life care at home. Dr. Shum is committed to helping pets thrive in their golden years by relieving pain and supporting families through difficult end-of-life decisions made out of love for their pets. Having experienced the loss of her senior Golden Retriever, Money, and orange tabby, Mia, she truly understands the heartbreak and grief faced by pet parents and is honoured to help you navigate this highly emotional time in your pet's life.
When not working, you might find Dr. Shum exploring the city for coffee shops, bakeries, and restaurants. She also enjoys doing yoga and kickboxing, arts and crafts, playing board games, and spending time with her husband and three cats Micah, Coconut, and Cinnamon.
Barb Cook, Senior Practice Manager
Barb joined Midtown Mobile Veterinary Hospice Services in 2017 when we were a small team of just 4 people. Over the years she has done a variety of roles as we grew and is currently our Senior Practice Manager. Barb found us the same way as many of you do. She and her husband Brian have raised two children and three handsome German Shepherd dogs; Bear, Murray and Gordon. When Gordon was diagnosed with a terminal illness at the age of 7, they searched for a vet who would euthanize him at home. She found Dr. Banks and discovered in-home palliative care. Dr. Banks helped them care for Gordon at home until his last day.
Like the rest of the team at MMVHS, she considers it an honour to help pet owners navigate this very difficult time. While currently not a pet parent herself, her son and daughter in law recently got a new cockapoo puppy named Rosie and Barb loves spending time with her and rediscovering the happiness that a dog brings to our lives. Barb grew up in a large family with a cat, many dogs, rabbits and even a few ducks. She loves to golf, travel and cook.
Shawna Lennon, Hospice Care Team Manager
Shawna Lennon joined MMVHS in August of 2021. She worked at an animal hospital for nearly 20 years and has had various roles, both administrative and hands-on. Shawna has lived with her own menagerie over the years which included dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, fish and one lovely bearded dragon, but now has two amazingly hairless dogs, Pablo & Adam, and one giant Abyssinian cross feline, Dougal.
Shawna worked with Dr. Banks many years ago in the clinic setting and has since admired her and her colleagues for the compassionate work they do. She shares our passion for geriatric and ailing pets and is devoted to helping them feel peace and dignity as they journey through their lives. Having experienced significant loss herself, Shawna shares an immense empathy with pet parents and hopes she is able to lend some comfort to them as they move through this delicate time in their pet’s life.
In her down time, she enjoys anything to do with food; roasting, bbq-ing, baking, pet food / treats, looking up various restaurant menus worldwide, shopping for kitchen accessories, watching cooking shows and collecting hot sauces.
Important words that she lives by: "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Dr. Seuss
Jane Welowszky, Hospice Care Coordinator
Jane Welowszky joined MMVHS in 2018 and, along with our other wonderful Hospice Care Coordinators, acts as one of our first points of contacts. Having recently said goodbye to two of her beloved felines – Charlie and Minky Moo – Jane feels privileged and honoured to provide support to clients navigating care options and end of life decisions for their cherished companions.
Jane has a wealth of experience in animal welfare and advocacy and her kindness and compassion extends to everyone who knows and meets her. As a Humane Educator and freelance writer, Jane’s desire to deepen the understanding of the special bond between animals and humans is reflected in her editorial contributions in various publications.
Jane is excited to be returning to yoga after a brief hiatus, and enjoys powerwalking, discovering new plant-based recipes, and further developing her photography skills. She currently shares her home with two feisty felines – Bertie and Henny.
Jill Bergman, Hospice Care Coordinator
Jill Bergman joined MMVHS as a Hospice Care Coordinator in 2019. Animals have always held a special place in her heart. She has many years of experience, living and working with animals, dating back as far as her childhood.
Jill graduated with a Bachelor of Education and taught elementary school for several years. Her love of animals led her to open a dog walking business which she operated for many years. During this time, her understanding of the deep bond between humans and animals deepened, motivating her to embark on a mission to support families during the most challenging times of their pets' lives.
At the present time, Jill enjoys the time she spends with her husband, two kids and their beloved Newfoundland dogs Mr and Mrs. She loves taking them on walks, experiencing new adventures and creating memorable moments. Having lost two of her much loved Newfoundland dogs, Jill is very much aware of the emotions involved with pet loss. She considers it a profound privilege to be able to provide assistance to other families, grappling with the challenges associated with the end-of-life care of a family pet.
Joanne Sweers, Hospice Care Coordinator
Joanne Sweers has shared her household with cats and dogs for over 30 years. She presently has two senior dogs, Abby and Brandy, and knows how difficult it can be when beloved family members need extra help and support. She is honoured to be part of such a kind and compassionate group of professionals working to assist other pet parents during this stage of their lives.
During her career as a stay at home mom, Joanne has been active in the community helping raise funds for many different hospitals and charitable organizations within the GTA. She is passionate about animal rights and welfare. Recently Joanne joined Critter Cabs Animal Rescue, a volunteer organization that coordinates the transportation of animals in need across the province.
Joanne loves spending time with her family and friends and enjoys cooking, going to the gym and playing the piano.
Kirsten Grieve, RVT, CPEP, Hospice Care Coordinator
Kirsten is one of our Hospice Care Coordinators who discovered us when her own beloved cat, Ferdinand, began to decline after his cancer diagnosis. She wanted to provide in home euthanasia for him to ensure the end of his life was as peaceful and dignified as possible. The care and compassion shown by the staff and veterinarians at MMVHS so impressed her that she was eager to join our team and return that kindness to other families.
Laura Czerwinski, Hospice Care Coordinator
Laura Czerwinski is one of our Hospice Care Coordinators. Her love for animals started at a very young age. She grew up with hamsters, rabbits, cats, dogs and horses. Over the years, Laura volunteered at a local vet clinic, worked at a dog grooming/boarding facility, participated in canine agility classes, fostered kittens for the SPCA and worked with a local rescue in their feline spay/neuter and release program. Laura’s employment has always seen her in a caregiving role, from starting out as a Veterinary Technician in 2010 to her current position as a Registered Massage Therapist.
Laura currently shares her home with 5 rescue cats and her 16 year old Lab mix, Nika. Laura understands, cherishes and respects the depths of the human-animal bond and knows first hand the challenges of caring for a senior animal, as well as the loss of a beloved pet. She is honoured to be able to provide caring and empathetic support for others who are navigating this difficult time.
In her free time, Laura enjoys the outdoors, gardening, painting and decorating, wine tasting, and travelling.
Crystal Rivers, Hospice Care Coordinator
Crystal’s family has given her the nickname of Snow White when it comes to her relationship with animals. She grew up on a small hobby farm and has been surrounded by pets of all sizes and ages her whole life. Today, she has a busy household with 2 teenage cats and a young Siberian Husky who definitely lives up to the breed’s reputation.
Crystal has always had a passion to support families and individuals, and her education has been geared towards doing so through bereavement and grief. She completed her Social Service Worker diploma and a Thanatology certificate program, receiving high honours in both. She has work experience supporting families whose loved ones are critical care patients and individuals receiving treatments in her local city’s hospitals. She also volunteers on the Palliative Care unit of a hospital, supporting both individuals and families who are at the end-of-life stage.
In 2019, her furry best-friend Cash was diagnosed with bone cancer. After only a month, she had to make the hardest phone call to date. The amount of compassion shown by the stranger who answered the phone, and by the vet who came to her home, was exactly what she needed through that devastating time. When she learned about the Hospice Care Coordinator position at MMVHS, she felt it brought all her studies and life experiences together in one supportive role.
Victoria Longo, Hospice Care Coordinator
Victoria Longo joined the MMVHS team in 2022. She has had family pets all her life and started her working career at ten years old walking a neighboring Cocker Spaniel. This early experience cemented her desire to work in the animal field. She spent many years working in a busy midtown Toronto veterinary hospital in a variety of roles. The most rewarding aspect of this job for her was witnessing the strong bond between the clients and their pets. This led her to appreciate the importance of the roles both veterinarians and support staff play in ensuring that their patients receive excellent, compassionate care from their first visit to their last.
On a personal level, Victoria has had her own experience caring for geriatric pets, including their palliative care and ultimate loss. Victoria is often asked why she would want to take on the role of Hospice Care Coordinator when it focuses on the saddest part of pet ownership. While this is true, she sees it as an opportunity to help people navigate through this very difficult time.
When not working, Victoria shares her busy home with her husband and two children, Michael and Isabella, and their wonderful orange cat named Leonard. After the loss of one of her pugs, Victoria became involved with Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides as a foster parent in their puppy program and is currently fostering a lovely Lab named Wave. Nia, one of Victoria’s fosters, left the program due to health issues and joined the Longo family permanently. She and Victoria now participate as a therapy dog team in the literacy program with One Health Partners.
Samm McGraw, RVT, Hospice Care Coordinator
Samm joined the MMVHS team as a Hospice Care Coordinator in May 2023. Growing up, her family always encouraged her to pursue a career with animals, seeing the genuine joy they brought to her life. After exploring several different career options in the veterinary industry, she decided to attend college in Ottawa to pursue a career as a Veterinary Technician, and has never looked back.
She graduated in 2010 as an RVT and has had varying roles working and volunteering in shelter medicine, general practice, exotic animal medicine, and emergency medicine. Most recently, she became self-employed doing relief work for local clinics and providing pet sitting and boarding in her home. Throughout all the roles, one area always stood out as the most rewarding and fulfilling part of her job: supporting pet parents through crisis and grief. When she discovered MMVHS, she found herself excited by their mission of helping families through the most difficult decision they will make during their pet’s life. She knew then that MMVHS was a practice whose values and priorities matched hers when it came to patient care and owner support.
When not immersed in the world of veterinary medicine and animal welfare, Samm is kept busy with her husband and sons as well as her makeshift zoo at home, including her three dogs; Lennon (12), Dwight (5), and Dougie (2), her four sweet ratties (Rosa, Ghost, Nyx, and Styx), and her many, many fish. When she finally takes a break for herself, you can usually find her with her nose buried in a book, tea in hand, painting, or digging in her garden!
Kristin Polito, Hospice Care Coordinator
Kristin joined MMVHS in December 2023 as a Hospice Care Coordinator. Her love for animals started as a child, growing up alongside cats and dogs. She has nearly 20 years of experience working with pets in a variety of roles, including animal and client care, and veterinary clinic management. She feels so fortunate to be joining the MMVHS team, and sincerely feels that this is the perfect place in which to combine her past experiences and love for helping people and their pets.
After saying goodbye to her beloved geriatric dog and cat within the last 5 years, Kristin has become increasingly interested and passionate about palliative and end of life care for our cherished pets. She is very grateful to have the opportunity to join the MMVHS team - to advance her knowledge, and to be a part of helping families navigate these challenging times.
Kristin shares her home with her husband and 2 young children. They welcomed their lovely, bouncy and super speedy dog Faye to their family in 2021 - who is a handful and a total sweetheart. In her spare time, Kristin enjoys walks in the woods, gardening, camping, and relaxing with her family.
Franny Fraumeni, Hospice Care Team Support
After a long career in retail advertising and marketing, Franny Fraumeni joined MMVHS in 2021. She also works at a funeral home as a hostess and a Service Experience Rep at a large retailer. She has been an animal lover since childhood, when she had her own pet rabbit, Pippi. They were so close and he was such a part of Franny’s large family, that Pippi was allowed to hop around in her bed secretly early in the morning.
Franny and her husband and children had a beloved Golden Retriever, Andie Girl, who died at age 11 in 2010. Today, as the grandmom of her daughter’s Parti Poodle, Poppins, and her son and his partner’s Bernedoodle, Forrest, Franny’s love for animals and the joy they bring to us is as strong as ever.
When out walking, if Franny sees a worm struggling on the sidewalk she finds a stick, picks it up and gently lays it back in the grass.
Franny’s personal life motto is “Enjoy the simple things in life.” With that in mind, she enjoys gardening, walking, home improvements, helping others and being with her family. And given her experiences with the death of Andie Girl and her dear son Nicholas, Franny is sensitive and compassionate to the needs of the animals and families.
Nicole Petrie, Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Nicole Petrie joined the Midtown Mobile Veterinary Hospice Services team in 2021. She obtained her BBA from the Schulich School of Business and her MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University, and brings over 10 years of business management experience to her role here at MMVHS. Nicole is very excited to combine her lifelong love of animals with her business expertise, and truly feels that she has found her dream job.
Nicole has personally been through the heartbreak of pet loss twice over the years, most recently saying goodbye to her beloved 16 year old pup, Pacey, at home in January 2022. With a great deal of empathy for our clients and an appreciation for the in-home euthanasia experience, Nicole is passionate about raising awareness for the incredible services offered by MMVHS and FPM. She is honoured to work alongside such a dedicated and compassionate team of fellow animal lovers.
In her free time, Nicole enjoys travelling with her husband, doing puzzles and escape rooms, reading, spending time with family and friends, and playing with her fur baby, Ollie.
Sunny Foley, Pet Aftercare Centre Manager
Brittany Costaris, Aftercare Associate
Brittany Costaris has had a love of animals from a young age, and has surrounded herself with animals (especially horses) at every opportunity throughout her life. While her curiosity and unending desire to help others initially led her in a different direction, she has found her passion and a truly rewarding career at Faithful Pet Memorial in a role that combines her love of animals and compassion for people.
Brittany started on her journey in the death care industry in 2016 and, by 2017, she had completed a 6 month internship at Roadhouse & Rose Funeral Home and received her Funeral Pre-Planners license. After graduating from that program, Brittany realized that she wanted to continue her education in funeral services and enrolled in Humber College.
After almost 6 years in funeral services, Brittany decided to transfer her skills from the human world into the pet aftercare industry by joining Faithful Pet Memorial. After losing her beloved Dachshund, Tucker, suddenly, Brittany can deeply relate to pet parents during their time of need.
When she is not busy at work, Brittany enjoys spending time with her family, friends, partner Alex and their rescue dog Sparks. She enjoys hiking with Sparks and horseback riding whenever she is up north in her home town of Owen Sound.
Sheree Bishop, Aftercare Associate
Sheree has always had a special place in her heart for animals throughout her life. She fostered many dogs and cats growing up, and volunteered at the OSPCA in Orangeville during high school. As a born helper with a big heart, she was torn between two different career paths that would allow her to give back to the community: working with animals and assisting people with special needs.
Ultimately, Sheree pursued her Child & Youth Worker advanced diploma and went on to hold several different roles including working with youth facing mental health concerns and homelessness in the Indigenous community for 6 years and working in group homes for boys with autism for 5 years, before shifting into the pet care world as a Director of Animal Care for the past 4 years. She has now joined Faithful Pet Memorial as an Aftercare Associate, providing support for families in this final stage of their pet’s journey.
In her spare time, Sheree enjoys spending time with her family, her boyfriend Jordan and her animal children (a Chihuahua named Boston and a turtle named Camo). She is a big fan of all things basketball, in particular the Boston Celtics, which is where her sweet pup got his name. She also enjoys visiting her fur nephews, Otto (a Puggle) and Roman (an American bully).
Julie Agro, Pet Memorial Artist
Julie has had a love for all animals from a very young age. Originally from Ottawa, she spent every summer exploring her family farm in Prince Edward County, where she fondly remembers interacting with the horses, sheep and cattle; as well as any insects or reptiles she could capture with her bare hands. This upbringing led to a deep curiosity and admiration for all living creatures, resulting in Julie often wanting to bring home wild animals as pets.
After high school, Julie moved to Toronto to attend OCAD University, where she pursued her love of fine arts and graduated with a degree in Drawing & Painting in 2013. Since graduation, Julie has continued to grow her art practice by participating in a number of gallery shows, as well as creating custom murals and commissioned artwork for clients.
These days, Julie lives with her beloved rescue cat Josie, and spends her spare time hiking, travelling, sewing, and creating artwork. She is passionate about creating memorial keepsakes for pets and their families, and is honoured to be part of the team at Faithful Pet Memorial
(Princess) Polly, Chief Pawsitivity Officer
After the very sudden loss of Sammy, our sweet geriatric Hospice Centre kitty, the team was in dire need of a loving and purring presence in the office. Dr. Banks came across Polly (formally Fluffy) through a local rescue program. We were immediately drawn to her adorable little face and her very unique trait of being Polydactyl (having extra toes). In fact - she has 26 toes in total! Polly had come from an unfortunate situation and found herself in foster care at the age of 12 - thankfully, she was not there for too long! We officially adopted her in early May of 2023 and she has made herself right at home in our Hospice Centre. Polly greets our team and clients every day with MANY meows, and loves to be a lap cat. She is very polite, and certainly loves her snacks. Polly has been a great addition to our team, and makes us smile every single day.
In Loving Memory of Sammy, Chief Snuggle Officer
Sammy was adopted by our team in the fall of 2022 from a local cat rescue, at the golden age of 20 years old. He came to us with many ongoing health issues, including kidney disease. While under the careful watch of our hospice veterinarians, he turned a real corner in terms of his activity levels and quality of life for over 6 months. His favourite activities included taking naps on his heating pad, constantly stealing his coworker’s meals and chairs, and following the team around all day. Sadly, Sammy's health took a sudden turn for the worse and we said goodbye to our sweet boy in April 2023 through a peaceful euthanasia. In the short time he was with us, Sammy was bright, cuddly, cheeky, funny, loving, and above all, he provided so much comfort to the grieving pet parents who walked through our front door. To say he "landed in the right spot" would be an understatement. Our team is absolutely at a huge loss, and we miss this little guy terribly.