About Dayna
From the time I was born I've been an animal lover and have always shared a special, unique connection with animals and nature. As a very young kid when people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say a bird. I was the kid that could always be found outside playing with my animal friends, talking out loud to plants and trees, and making the rounds in our small, rural town feeding the stray animals that I couldn’t take home. Close relationships with animals came so naturally. Sensing their feelings, moods and knowing how they felt just came to me. I couldn’t verbalize to people how I knew things about animals, as it was just a natural part of me.
Growing up though, I soon realized not everyone believed in animals and nature as equals and I did what a lot of teens do, I tried to change and disconnect. I still loved animals and shared my life with them but I stopped being open and put up a wall to block that deep connection I had as a young kid.
Years and years later as an adult, I was faced with the difficult decision of putting down my wonderful golden retriever companion of 17 years. I was beyond heartbroken and in the middle of my grief and pain of trying to decide what was right, I heard the words "I don’t have much time, please know you are doing the right thing." At the time, I wasn't exactly sure where those words came from but this started the process of becoming more aware and I realized how important it was for me to open up to the depth of animals again.
The process and journey of communicating with animals on this deeper level again was a long one and at times a difficult one. I didn’t realize as a kid that it’s a skill. A skill that needs time, practice, patience, intention, and mindset. A skill that honestly, any one of us can do.
I’ve been in the animal care field my entire life, I simply couldn’t imagine doing anything else. My first paying ‘job’ was as an 8 year old kid walking the neighborhood dogs. I then started volunteering at a local veterinary clinic when I was 10 years old. That volunteering eventually lead into paid position and I worked in the veterinary field for many years, learning so much. Wanting a little change, I started working at dog training and daycare facilities learning more about dog behavior and training techniques. This eventually lead into my current home-based dog boarding business.
All along the way, I have always had an interest in learning more about holistic health and methods. I learned animal massage, dug deeper into nutrition, and energy healing. All of these holistic building blocks contributed to my wonderful golden retriever living to a healthy 17 years old!
Throughout my working career though, something always felt like it was missing. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on or verbalize. It wasn’t until I started relearning how to deeply reconnect and talk with animals that the missing something clicked. That was the soul piece that had been missing. Since relearning this soul piece, I have been able to help animals and their people on such deeper, profound level.
