About Me

For Services Offered and Prices, Please Navigate to the Services Offered and Fees Page.

This is the standard, obligatory website “About Me” page. This is where I tell you all about how I have been heavily involved with all kinds of animals for my entire life and why I’m the perfect choice for your needs. It’s a little lengthy and self-indulgent, I suppose because I’m also a writer, so I beg your forgiveness. I just think it’s important to really get to know who someone is before you decide to trust them with your precious, beloved pets. Hopefully, you’ll find it informative, useful and even entertaining.

Basically, my life experiences have made me the ideal person to be able to help you with your pet needs, regardless of what kind of animal(s) you have. I’ve always put the needs of my family, my friends and my pets above my own. When I’m working for you, the needs of your pets will always come first. No one will ever be able to love and care for your puppy, your kitty or any of the other pet members of your family the way you do, but you can certainly provide them with the next best thing, with the very best quality of surrogate care.

I was born and spent my early years on a Nebraska farm, so that’s a pretty good start right there. Though my family eventually moved to California, we spent almost every summer and winter vacation back on the farm. This is where I first developed a deep, personal love and respect for all animals. With my grandfather, I worked with cattle, pigs and sheep. I cared for and milked Bossy, the family cow. I separated cream and churned butter. I assisted my grandmother in the garden and with good old country cooking. I planted, cared for and harvested all sorts of vegetables and fruits. Back then, fertilizer came out of a compost pile or the back end of a cow. Pest control was handled by an army of beautiful garden spiders, birds, predatory/parasitoid insects and other bug predators. Long before it became a cultural epiphany, I was practicing organic, sustainable, healthy horticulture.

My father had a master’s degree in biology. In my teen years, I spent several summers with him in various states around the country at science camps, field study sites, university labs, etc. doing habitat studies, animal behavior studies, population studies, genetic studies, migration studies, etc. He had a profound respect for all animals, and fairly extensive knowledge about many species, so my time with him was also greatly responsible for my knowledge and love of animals. And it wasn’t just my dad. His scientist/biologist buddies taught me a lot, as well. For instance, I remember one of them teaching me the proper way to hold a porcupine, to avoid the quills.

My family owned and bred Quarter Horses. I cared for them and rode them from a very young age. I don’t think I ever felt more alive than when I was mounted atop this one particular bay stallion, galloping across the open, grassy fields on a Nebraska summer morning. I don’t exactly remember his name, something with Bolt…maybe Thunder Bolt. Anyway, he was a big boy, as Quarter Horses go, big-boned and strong. I loved that horse. One of my regrets in life is that my adult living circumstances have not allowed me to have much contact with horses since my childhood. We brought three of our horses out to California in the mid-70s and boarded them for a while. There was another big stallion, Bramble Jack, who was supposedly descended from the first registered American Quarter Horse. He was only “green broke”, so it was my job to help him become more comfortable and trusting with his human rider. But after I had barely accomplished that and was just really starting to enjoy riding him around the countryside, the horses went back to Nebraska, all too soon. Other than that short interlude, I have not had much contact with horses. I have occasionally been out to watch the polo matches at the El Dorado Polo Club in Indio, I have patted the horses’ necks at state fairs, etc. Not entirely satisfying. I mention all this here simply to further indicate my extensive involvement with animals. In my capacity with this business, I can’t provide services for horses, for many reasons that are evident to actual horse owners. If I ever manage to sell my epic science fiction novel, and therefore have the means to purchase an appropriate property, one of the first things I’ll do is to acquire a nice companion gelding or filly. Thunder Bolt was a fully functional stallion and, let’s just say, quite “high-spirited”. He was intended for breeding, not for recreational riding, especially by a stupid, careless kid like me. My father and grandfather were amazed at our relationship and that I could handle him so easily. I guess I just attribute it to the fact that animals simply relate well to me. When I looked into his eyes, I could see his intelligence and soul, and I think he could see how much I cared for him. But at my age now, I’d never attempt the same kind of audacious interaction I did with that big stallion back then.

As a child on the farm, I cared for and had close contact with chickens. I developed a life-long love for these amazing, but terribly disrespected, birds. I was taught about the many different breeds, their attributes and personalities. Chickens are descendants of the Asian jungle fowl, a member of the fabulous pheasant family, and as such, they are beautiful birds. And there is a whole lot more going on in their “bird brains” than most people can possibly imagine. So, wherever I have lived for my entire adult life, I have always had my little backyard flock of laying hens. I’ve owned many kinds of pets, but the only three that I have always, consistently needed to have in my life, all my life, are dogs, cats and chickens.

I’m one of those people who gets a disdainful scowl on his face whenever anyone begins to debate over which is “best” – dogs or cats. What a pointless discussion. I have always had both. At my age, I have been privileged to have owned several of each. Though I did once have a purebred Vizsla Pointer dog (who won several show ribbons) and a similarly registered Himalayan cat, both of which were fabulous, my dogs have otherwise consistently been adopted from animal shelters, as was one of my cats. The other cats were abandoned; they found and adopted me.

The dog depicted on my business logo is a representation of my most recent dog, Bitsy, the sweetest ever little mutt, reminiscent of the kind of basic, tan dogs ubiquitous on the streets of villages throughout much of the world, who I recently lost to cancer. Every dog and every cat has enriched my life in significant ways, based on their own unique personalities and charms. The eventual, inevitable death of each cat and dog has always been a crushing experience for me. Every time, I vow that I will never again adopt one, so that I don’t have to go through it again. Yet, that resolve lasts less briefly than my New Year’s resolutions. Ultimately, my addiction to the joy of a dog and cat in my home is far more compelling than the fear of facing death.

Around the same time that I lost Bitsy, I also lost my lovely little black kitty, Medea. Ever since, I’ve been debating with myself about whether to adopt another dog and cat. One perk of this job is that it allows me regular contact with, and the pleasure of receiving affection from, dogs and cats, without having to worry about future unpleasant consequences.

My first dog, when I was about two to three years old on the farm, was a lovable, playful and protective collie named Buddy. In any of the spotty memories I have of those very early years, that dog is always there, right beside me. I remember he looked sort of like a blond version of Lassie. (That was around 1956-1958, and there are no photos I could find of either Buddy or Daddy Cat, so I included photos here of what they looked like.) Even at that age, I was an antsy, distracted kid. All kinds of things might catch my attention and I was prone to wandering off and getting into trouble. As an adult, I asked my parents about their memories of those years and about Buddy. They told me that Buddy was the most valuable tool they had for protecting me. I could sometimes escape my parents’ attention, but not Buddy’s. Apparently, like any good herding breed dog, he would circle me, block me, push me and otherwise try to keep me where I was supposed to be. If I was too difficult, he would bark like mad to gain my parents’ attention for assistance. In consideration of the many stupid things I’ve done in life, I often wonder how I’ve managed to survive. It seems that I may owe my survival in those earliest years, at least in part, to Buddy.

Like any typical farm, we had our “mouser squad”, a loose clan of cats that kept the numbers of rodents from becoming too large and destructive. My parents didn’t believe in using poison or traps. They felt that they were dangerous and cruel. But the contest between predator and prey is natural and universal, and the rats and mice always had a fighting chance. With such parents, you can see how I acquired my enlightened views, of which I’m proud. The “top cat” of the squad was a big tabby tom. I don’t know if he actually had a name, but I remember calling him “Daddy Cat”. He was basically feral, didn’t like people, in general, and could be pretty nasty. I think he scratched most of the family more than once and I remember sometimes hearing, “That damned cat!”, even from my grandmother, who would then quickly follow it with, “Oh, mercy days, forgive me Jesus. Rex, don’t you ever say such things!” But Daddy Cat had a special affection for me. He was always brushing against me, rubbing his head on me and licking me, sometimes for extended periods, until my hand, foot or hair was actually wet. One of the clearest memories I have of those earliest years is of sitting on the grass, in the shade of this big black walnut tree in our yard, my back against the trunk, with Daddy Cat curled up on my lap, purring contentedly, and Buddy resting peacefully beside us, but with his ears always sort of twitching, I think listening for anything that might disturb or threaten us.

After moving to Southern California, I discovered and developed a fascination for reptiles and amphibians. That was back in the 1960s, before development had destroyed so much native habitat, and I could easily hike out into the chaparral, deserts and foothill canyons to find an amazing array of animal species, including numerous reptiles and amphibians. In the vernacular of the herpetologists and herpetoculturists who work with them, reptiles and amphibians are collectively called “herps”. My fascination with herps continued to grow over the years, evolving beyond our native species to include herps, especially frogs and toads, from environments all over the world. I began to collect and breed many of these species. I became involved with organizations dedicated to the study, keeping and conservation of herps. Eventually, my knowledge of herps, and plants, merged with my writing profession.

If you’re a long-time herp enthusiast and reader of Reptiles Magazine between about 1999-2016, you probably already know me. Besides numerous feature articles for both the magazine and its annual Reptiles USA, for several years I wrote the regular column, The Living Vivarium. This column covered all aspects of creating beautiful, healthy, naturalistic planted vivariums for reptiles and amphibians, in order to promote physical health, mental stimulation and natural behavior. More information on vivariums can be found on the Herps page of this site.

You see a lot of the same people at both reptile shows and plant shows, notably orchid, bromeliad and fern shows, especially since natural vivariums became so popular. I have always been as active in the plant world as in the animal world.

I’m a regular at arboreta, botanical gardens, plant shows and specialty nurseries around Southern California and beyond, and have developed friendships with many of the owners. I am especially knowledgeable regarding bromeliads/tillandsias, orchids, California native plants, xeriscape plants, aquatic/bog plants and wild/unusual edible plants. PetFairy is a pet services business and I don’t offer gardening or plant care services per se. I will evaluate the condition of your plants, provide advice and do certain specific chores, like watering houseplants, as an add-on service, mostly for free, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the quality of my service to your pet. It’s like a little bonus.

Besides the chickens, I have had numerous experiences with other birds as well. I suppose I am about as fascinated by them as by herps. After dogs, cats and chickens, the fourth most consistently present members of my household have been two crows, named Smudge and Iktomi. Iktomi is still with me. They are incredible birds, intellectually and socially. I also raised an emu chick, named Aussie, to a beautiful adult male, and enjoyed a very special and enlightening relationship with him, until eventually taking him to live with a mob (the term for a group of emus) on a spacious ranch. I have also cared for juvenile raptors, mostly barn owls, until they were old enough to make it on their own in the wild. If you’re interested, you can find out more about all of these individuals on the Birds page.

Aquariums, fish and other aquatic creatures have been a consistent interest of mine as well. I have created and maintained both marine and freshwater aquariums, for myself, as well as for friends, pet shops and other businesses. Planted freshwater aquariums of various habitat types have been a major focus. When I was about 14-15, I set up a cool-water, California coastal habitat marine aquarium in my bedroom, so that I could keep an octopus, specifically a California two-spot, or bimac, octopus (Octopus bimaculoides). My relationship with Doheny (he was named after Doheny beach, in Dana Point, where I collected him) was truly astounding, revelatory and life-view-changing (Is that a real term? You know what I mean, though, right?). Decades later, I was thrilled to see the PBS feature, Octopus: Making Contact, about an Alaskan professor who set up a tank in his living room, where he and his daughter also had a wonderful relationship with an octopus. His was a different species, from the Mediterranean, a day octopus (Octopus cyanea), and a female, but his experience appeared virtually the same as mine. More about all this on the Aquariums page.

Like everyone, I love small, cuddly mammals. I have kept several species, but my favorites, which have been most endearing to me, have been ferrets, rats and guinea pigs. I have a special love for rats, which only another rat aficionado can understand. Between the ages of about seven to fourteen, I always had pet rats, usually more than one at a time. I’ve also kept, promoted and written about ferrets. My ferret, Blondie, was a petite little female albino, and the most purely joyful animal I have ever known, behaviorally sort of a fusion of all the best qualities of dogs, cats and two-year-old human children. These experiences are discussed on the Small Mammals page of this site.

Finally, I have a lot to say about my relationships and experiences with wild & exotic pets, notably including my raccoon, Miriah, and a couple of endearing possums. Miriah was another major joy and revelatory relationship in my life. I have some unique, strongly personal opinions about wild and exotic pets. These can be found on the Wild & Exotic Pets page.

You’ll notice that I use this site for more than simply a place for clients to arrange for pet sitting services. I want it to be a place where animal lovers can find information and expand their horizons. In the future, I plan to add a forum, so that Coachella Valley animal lovers can have contact with one another. I see this as simply another service for my clients and other interested animal people. I am also planning a blog, where I can express my thoughts on a wide range of pet/animal topics and issues.

So, whatever kind of animal(s) you have and whatever your service needs are, the chances are good that I can fulfill them to your great satisfaction. I can sit with your doggie, scratch his tummy, toss the ball and play tug-of-war with him, give him his favorite treats as you instruct and tell him what a good boy he is. Or I can feed your boa constrictor, check the environmental conditions in its vivarium, inspect it to see if it appears in good health and even collect a fecal sample for vet testing if necessary. Or I can feed your marine fish, check the water chemistry & temperature, make sure the filtration, lighting and other systems are all functioning properly and observe the fish for any signs of stress, disease or injury. Or I can feed & water your brilliant African grey parrot, talk to it and provide whatever kinds of mental stimulation you usually do. Or all at once. And maybe water the plants as well.

For more specific information on precisely what services I provide, my fees and how to schedule services, see the Services Provided and Fees page, and other applicable pages/sections on this site.