At Nurture Your Pet, our vision is to build a tribe of pet lovers sharing stories and advice about their fur babies 🐶🐾 We are so grateful for our community, and we are thrilled to be featuring members of our NYP family! For our fourth Pawrent Spotlight, we are ecstatic to introduce you to Dedee Pfeiffer and her beautiful fur family of rescue pets (on Instagram as @dedeepfeifferofficial) ❤️
NYP: Tell us about yourself - where are you from?
Pfeiffer: Hi! I’m a 58 yrs old, single mom of 2 awesome teenagers, a UCLA MSW graduate, actor, producer, and presently on ABC's Big Sky! I have been sober 3+ years! I’m crazy for all animals and Mother Earth!
NYP: What types of pets do you have (species, breed[s]) and what are their names?
Pfeiffer: Scarlet Spartan Pfeiffer (aka: Sparta) is our rottie/shepherd mix and in retirement at 9 years old. Star Light Pfeiffer (aka:Star) is a Great Pyrenees and 6 months old. Star is a New Mexico Pandemic pup. Lenard Pfeiffer (aka: Lenny) is a 3 yrs old ‘orb shaped’ siamese cat. Sadly, we recently just lost our lil buddy Pandora (aka: Panny), a rescued umbrella cockatoo. She went to the light and is so very missed. All our fur/feather buddies are rescues.
NYP: When did pets become such a strong part of your life?
Pfeiffer: Since I was a lil girl, I can remember loving animals more than people. They were a lot less confusing, easier to understand and had unconditional love for you no matter what. I found them (and still do) so comforting and absolutely love the feel-good chemicals that are produced when you're around them : )
NYP: How did you get each member of your pet family?
Pfeiffer: Adoption agencies for the most part and/or from the streets. My boys and I are known for pulling over & coming to the rescue of dogs, cats, ducks with babies (yes on Ventura Blvd in L.A.) running scared down city streets and flushing them to the side of the road where we can get a hold of their tag, chip, and/or make signs, knock on doors, etc. to find their home. If you ever come home and find your dog tied to your doorknob with a note saying, “Found your pup running down *** street. Please check your gates. You’re welcome,” from someone who cares. Good chance that was us. LOL.
NYP: I noticed from your Instagram that you have experience caring for a variety of pet species. What do you love about each? What makes them unique?
Pfeiffer: I truly love all of Mother Earth’s creatures! Each one has their own personality and character. What I love the most is how if you’re a smart pet owner, your fur/feather/scaly buddies can teach you a lot about yourself if you’re mindful enough to notice. Like Panny showed me what patience looked like and where her (not my) boundaries were and if I wasn’t mindful… I got bit! HARD! If you’ve ever been on the other end of a cockatoo's bite, you know what I’m talking about... O-U-C-H!!!!!
NYP: Working with rescue pets can be challenging due to the prior trauma they may have faced. Have you ever experienced this? How did you overcome those training obstacles?
Pfeiffer: Yes, all my buddies have been challenging because of their prior issues with trauma. Just like a human, you have to come to where they are. It’s not about you, but rather them and it’s from that perspective you can start the healing process, earn their trust, and then just love them with all your heart!
NYP: What do you find to be the most rewarding part of rescuing pets?
Pfeiffer: They truly are so grateful to be alive and loved. Each and every one of them can tell you this… just look into their eyes and you’ll hear them say it with their eyes!
NYP: What are your favorite activities to do with your pets?
Pfeiffer: Cuddle, cuddle, and mush my cat’s face. LOL!
NYP: What is one of your funniest memories of your pets?
Pfeiffer: There are so many LOL, but I would have to say when Spartakins put her big head in my Trader Joe’s bag after grocery shopping and yes! You guessed it! Got her big head stuck and yes walked around with the bag on her head! It was hysterical!
NYP: Do you have any advice for first-time pet adopters?
Pfeiffer: Please just do some research on the breed of pet you’re considering because although really cute, each breed has different temperaments and behaviors ie: barking, aggression, extremely sensitive, anxiety, ect. Just doing the research can prevent you from adopting a pet that may not be as compatible with your lifestyle as another breed. And the most important advice… Patience, Patience and more Patience!
Follow Dedee and her pawfect pack of pets on Instagram: @dedeepfeifferofficial
