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Pets First Monthly
January 2025
A new year typically inspires thoughts of making changes to improve our lives. Sometimes, these resolutions succeed, and sometimes they don’t. I’m very happy to share that Petersen Pet Hospital has started 2025 with a new foundation for the best services we’ve ever offered our beloved pet clients. First, if you visit us these days, there’s a good chance you’ll hear the squawking and chirping of birds while you’re in our waiting room. That’s because we’re delighted to be joined by a new veterinarian, Dr. Justina Conrad, who came on board with us last October. A caring pet professional with 14 years of experience, she specializes in performing examinations on birds, reptiles, and various “pocket pets.” With Dr. Conrad on our team, we’re excited to offer these services for the first time in our history. We’re thrilled to have her with us and look forward to meeting many new feathered friends as the year moves on. On Dec. 2, we grew even more with the arrival of Dr. Lindsey Leo. A 12- year veteran of the pet care industry, she specializes in preventive care, dermatology, dentistry, and internal medicine. Her expertise will surely elevate our offerings to new heights, and she can’t wait to meet you and your animal companions! You can learn more about Dr. Leo’s history and accomplishments in this month’s newsletter. As we welcome these two talented veterinarians to our team, we bid farewell to one of our favorite people. After three years of compassionate service, Dr. Carol Carmo relocated to Texas with her husband, Steven, last October. Originally from Brazil, Dr. Carmo met Steven while doing an externship at another facility here in Iowa. We were honored to bring her on as a veterinarian, and she did wonders for our clients during her time with us. Her decision to move to Texas was prompted by her desire to live and work in warmer weather. Although we and her clients will miss her dearly, many pets live better lives today because of her, and we wish her the very best. With Dr. Conrad and Dr. Leo now on board, we have eight veterinarians on staff, helping us serve our community like never before. A lot of people love animals and would like to help them, but what are the qualities of a great veterinarian? To me, they must have a pleasant bedside manner, the ability to perform a great examination, strong communication skills, and the knowledge necessary to answer our clients’ questions — and, most of all, be friendly BIG CHANGES BRIGHTEN OUR PATH FRESH FACES, FOCUSED CARE
Dr. Lindsey Leo
Dr. Justina Conrad
Dr. Carol Carmo
and kind. Everyone on our team goes above and beyond to meet those requirements, and I couldn’t be happier with where we are as a business and as a pet care provider. I started the year knowing the best is yet to come. We hope you’re beginning 2025 with high hopes for the future. Although we live in unpredictable times, we can all do our best to make the most of every day. Your pets do a great deal to make that possible for you, so we’re here to help you keep them healthy and happy. Whether you have a parakeet or a poodle, we’re proud to provide you with the highest level of care possible. We look forward to seeing you in the new year.
www.PetersenPetHospital.com
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ALYSSA’S AMAZING CLIENT CARE From Songs to Paws LET’S MEET DR. LINDSEY LEO!
A NEW TALENT FOR THE TEAM
Dr. Lindsey Leo grew up in Oelwein, Iowa, and graduated from Oelwein High School. Her love of science and animals began at a young age, but a special bond with her childhood golden retriever convinced her to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. After high school, she attended the University of Iowa and received her Bachelor of Arts in biology in 2008. She then attended Iowa State University, receiving her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2012. Following college, she lived in Illinois briefly before returning to her Iowa roots and moving back to the Cedar Rapids area in 2013. She specializes in preventive care, dentistry, dermatology, and internal medicine. Dr. Leo and her husband, Nick, have two young children, Blake (9) and Chase (5). Their family also includes two rescue golden retrievers — Brinkley and Chandler Bing — and a cat named Felicity. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, attending Iowa Hawkeye sporting events, cycling, and planning fun parties for her kids’ birthdays and holidays.
Alyssa is Petersen Pet Hospital’s client care specialist supervisor. She grew up in Center Point and resides in Marion with her son, Hallie, and her partner. She is passionate about rescuing animals and is the proud guardian of a border collie/blue heeler named Willow and four cats. When not busy raising her son or caring for her furkids, she spends her free time as a singer/songwriter. Her favorite performance was playing with her band at the Iowa State Fair! She looks forward to meeting the Petersen Pet Hospital clients and ensuring they have the best customer service experience possible.
Contact us! 319-743-0554
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–Sam
At first glance, Sullivan is already a special dog. An adorable white boxer with a dark patch of fur around his right eye, he’s the kind of canine humans of all ages instantly fall in love with. If his cuteness wasn’t enough, he’s best known in his community for bringing people together in extraordinary ways. Originally found in a shelter in Coachella, California, Sullivan — who is deaf — lives in Oregon with his guardian, Allyson Ridling. A social worker and family therapist, Ridling has made Sullivan’s sweet temperament and calming presence a significant part of her practice. After bringing Sullivan to reading sessions with children (much to the delight of the little ones in attendance), she began including him in walking sessions with her clients. Fluent in sign language, Ridling has also introduced Sullivan to hard-of-hearing people worldwide via online video chats. Early last year, Sullivan and Ridling received a 2024 Oregon Humane Society (OHS) Diamond Collar Award for their compassionate work. Thrilled by the honor, Ridling credits her animal companion with helping her clients find greater joy and comfort. “Some of these people just needed to reconnect with love and feeling this undoubtable connection between the human and animal bond,” she says in a special OHS-produced YouTube video on the award. “That’s what they needed to help open up and take their next step moving forward in their life.” THE SILENT HEALER Meet the Boxer Who Changes Lives
The OHS was proud to honor Sullivan for his fantastic work with humans.
“As a therapy dog, Sullivan is a friendly presence for kids to practice their reading,” the organization says on its website. “His comfort helps those who are struggling to open up. [He] may not be able to hear, but his impact on the mental health of those around him speaks volumes.” Proud of her furry friend’s loving nature and many achievements, Ridling believes that animals like Sullivan can work wonders for people’s therapeutic treatment. “I think the human/animal bond works really well because animals don’t judge. They have unconditional love to give people. As [a] society, we could all work better to strive to be as loving and caring [and] as open-minded as a dog can be.”
EASY HOMEMADE DOG FOOD Inspired by ThisMessIsOurs.com
INGREDIENTS •
6 cups cooked organic brown rice
• 2 lbs lean ground beef, cooked thoroughly, fat drained • 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced small • 3 medium-sized carrots, shredded or thinly sliced • 1/4 cup minced curly parsley • 8 oz frozen broccoli, thawed and chopped • 3 tbsp of olive or safflower oil DIRECTIONS 1. In a large container, combine all ingredients and stir until mixed completely. 2. Store tightly sealed in the refrigerator in between feedings. Notes: Serve 4 cups of this food twice daily for a dog weighing 80 pounds or more, 2 cups twice daily for a dog weighing about 40 pounds, and 1 cup twice daily for dogs weighing 20 pounds or less.
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www.PetersenPetHospital.com
1031 Kacena Road Hiawatha, IA 52233 www.PetersenPetHospital.com 319-743-0554
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
Mon–Fri: 8 a.m.–6 p.m. (Closed Fridays from 12:30–2:10 p.m. for team meetings) Sat: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. | Sun: Closed
PRIMARY Inside This Issue
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New Year, New Horizons
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50% BLACK
Furkid Care and Compassion
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Your Pets’ New Friendly Vet
SECONDARY
Easy Homemade Dog Food
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A Deaf Dog’s Remarkable Journey
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PMS5635
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Remembering the Great French Mustache Strike
The Great French Mustache Strike of 1907
Workers usually go on strike to improve wages and working conditions. Leave it to the French to mount a historic strike for the right to grow a mustache.
The French have long been famously quick to stage work stoppages. At 112 days on average, the country leads the industrialized West in days lost to strikes each year. The nation’s strike culture is linked to its history of revolt, including the 1789 French Revolution. Withholding one’s labor is a constitutional right in France, whether you are a union member or not. And the mustache had long been a mark of status in Europe. Centuries earlier, Germany only permitted soldiers who had distinguished themselves in battle to grow mustaches. In France, the military requirement to wear mustaches became so strict that soldiers who couldn’t grow one had to wear a fake mustache. No wonder the French waiters took their facial hair so seriously. Being required to shave relegated them to the domestic servant class. As one French newspaper of the time declared, the waiters’ victory secured the right “to finally show
A full mustache was a prestigious mark of men’s social class in Europe in the early 20th century. Policemen were required to grow them to project authority and masculinity. Waiters rebelled when restaurant owners forced servers to shave their faces clean as a sign of their lower-class social status. During the dinner hour on April 17, 1907, an estimated 500 servers stopped dishing food, took off their aprons, and walked out, clustering on the street as diners looked on. The waiters also demanded a share of diners’ tips and the right to take one day off a week. They had support in Parliament, where one socialist deputy proposed a bill to outlaw mustache bans (which also applied to domestic servants and priests). The deputy called the restaurants’ mustache rule “grotesque and humiliating.”
that they are men, free men … who can wear at their ease this symbol of the all-powerful male, the mustache. Oh! The beautiful independence!”
After 16 days, restaurant owners caved to servers’ mustache demands and implemented a fairer pay structure. The waiters, however, lost their bid for one day off each week.
Contact us! 319-743-0554
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