Brooke, Aquamation Manager

Brooke started working for Paws into Grace in 2020, to help us launch our aquamation facility. While she currently manages our Escondido-based aquamation facility, she has supported Paws into Grace in many areas over the past years and is truly a “jack of all trades.”

Brooke is a San Diego-native, is Fear-Free Certified and loves helping people. In her free time, she enjoys welding and crafting, creating metal art, line dancing, and going out with her dogs. Her family includes three dogs named Max, Chevelle and Sasha, two cats named Goodrich and Thompson, and her snake Plissken.

Brooke says, “I am very fortunate to be working with Paws Into Grace. We encompass a family atmosphere, and have built an amazing team of genuinely compassionate individuals.”

“I care so much about what we do, and most importantly about helping our clients through the loss they are experiencing.” She adds. “This is sacred and fulfilling work, and we treat every pet as if they are our own.”

“Not a lot of people know about Aquamation, and I love the opportunities to educate our clients about the environmentally friendly cremation process we offer. We even have unique Memorials and Private Viewings were we honor the pet, and I am able to have our clients be apart of the process, and give them a look behind the curtains and explain everything in depth.”

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Courtney, Vice President of Operations & Strategy

Courtney joined the Paws into Grace team in 2020 to support the company’s social media and networking efforts. She quickly realized the importance of offering Paws families a cremation experience entirely handled within Paws into Grace, and she began planning and building the Paws into Grace Aquamation Office in Summer 2020.

A Southern California Native, Courtney has a Master’s in Organizational Management and a Bachelor’s in Journalism. She has been working in marketing for more than 16 years and has owned animals her whole life.

“I am honored to be able to support the families that trust Paws into Grace with their beloved pets,” she says. “Having experienced the loss of my first Corgi in 2022, I am so grateful that Paws’ veterinarians and team members support all parts of the end-of-life process. It brought me comfort to know my precious boy was being treated with love and respect even after his passing, and I’m proud of our team that treats every single pet in our office the same way.”

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, swimming, and cooking. She has a Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Rebel Skywalker, and an African Dwarf Frog.

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Delaney, Lead Client Care Specialist

Delaney was born and raised in Southern California. She joined Paws into Grace in April 2021 and has been working in various aspects of the animal industry for almost 5 years.

Her love of working with animals started at a rescue in San Diego, where she fell in love with helping sick and scared animals heal and thrive before finding their forever homes.

At Paws, Delaney loves getting the chance to make a real difference for our Paws pets, and helping owners find peace while making an impossible decision.

In 2022, Delaney relocated to Yellowstone National Park, with her young son, husband of 10+ years, and their cat named “Po Boy.” In her free time, she is an avid reader and podcast listener, and she keeps plants and enjoys hands-on arts and crafts, like needle point and crochet.

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Deven, Client Care Specialist

Deven grew up in the Central Valley, moved to San Francisco for several years and has been in San Diego for the past 5 years. She joined Paws into Grace in August 2021 and has been working in the animal industry for the past 10 years.

At Paws into Grace, Deven enjoys being able to help people during such a difficult time with their loved ones. She feels this is such a great service and wishes she knew at home euthanasia was an option when she needed to say goodbye to her beloved pet Sparky.

In her free time, Deven enjoys  reading, cross stitching and knitting. She also loves spending time with her three cats Eowyn, Chrundle, and Natalia and her horse Lady.

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Erika, Client Care Specialist

Erika “with a K” is originally from Baden-Württemberg, Germany and has been in Southern California since 2013. Her very first dog companion as an adult, a beautiful blue pitbull named Montgomery Jenkins Burnside, or Monty Burns for short, was the reason and inspiration for wanting to get into the field of working with our furry friends more intimately. She has worked with animals since 2013 and has experience with caretaking, breeding, training, handling, boarding, and clinic technician work as well.

Erika has been with Paws Into Grace since February of 2022, and she is grateful to work for a company with integrity and compassion as two of its core values. Erika’s role allows her to emulate these characteristics she holds dear to help families in need during these difficult moments.

In her spare time, Erika likes to get crafty and artistic, watch a nostalgic show, or read/listen to audiobooks with her plants! Family and friends are important to her, so a lot of her freetime is dedicated to them – “Auntie Erika” is a role she love having for her friends! She also volunteers her time in the community, hospitals, and other institutions.

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Josh, Lead Driver

Josh is originally from Los Banos, California and relocated to San Diego in 2020. He joined Paws into Grace in August 2020 and has more than 10 years customer service experience.

As Lead Driver, Josh says, “The care and attention that goes into the entire process, from the appointment to the transportation to cremation, is what impresses me. I love working for Paws because it gives me a sense of purpose and gratification to be able to help grieving families through a difficult time.”

In his free time, Josh can be found rooting for his favorite football team, the San Francisco 49-ers, listening to his favorite YouTube series” Good Mythical Morning,” or spending quality time with family.

Having experienced multiple pet losses, Josh understands the incredibly sensitive nature of the situation at hand. He wants families to know that he takes care and handles each pet as if they were his own.

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Lauren, Marketing Manager

Lauren is originally from Pennsylvania, but moved to San Diego in 2008. She attended San Diego State University and received a degree in Business Marketing. She has worked in marketing for almost 10 years and has experience in various types of marketing and communications. Her favorites are content marketing and social media marketing. She loves collaborating with other departments and teams to thoroughly understand the business and customer’s needs in order to create unique and original content!

She currently lives in East County San Diego with her husband, two children,  and her spunky Maltipoo/Minpin Mia who she adopted in 2016. In her free time she enjoys camping, gardening, hiking, interior design & cooking.

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Manu, Client Care Specialist

Manu is originally from Spain and has been working with animals since 2013. He joined Paws into Grace in June 2021. Manu is compassionate about animals and has 9+ years of experience working at animal clinics including ER for animals. He loves helping people provide a space where their pets feels safe and secure.

In his free time, Manu can be found at the beach with his family and his French Bulldog “fur son” Shiloh, or taking care of his many fish and coral tanks. He also enjoys fitness, healthy foods and outdoors sports like hiking and  swimming.

 

 

 

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Roxanne, Lead Aftercare Specialist

California-native Roxanne joined Paws into Grace in February 2022. With more than 10 years experience in the pet industry, Roxanne has helped animals in all stages of life.

“I love working at Paws for many reasons; one being the people,” she says. “Surrounding yourself with gentle, compassionate people is important. The work we do is a loving service for our community, and meeting pet owners from all over is beautiful to experience so much love. When I meet families and hear the special stories  and see photos of their beloved pet, I know I am in the right place.”

In her free time, Roxanne enjoys hiking, reading, journaling, relaxing in nature, and spending quality time with her husband, two senior chihuahuas, and two cats. All of her vacations are scheduled around their dogs being with them; they are truly her best friends.

“I would like clients to know that each pet is treated like family,” adds Roxanne, who works in both the front office and warehouse at the Escondido Cremation office. “We love them each as individuals and honor their life with gentle care. It is an honor to be here for these beloved pets and their families at such a sensitive time,” she says.

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Ruby, Driver

A San Diego native, Ruby joined Paws into Grace in 2022. Prior to joining Paws, Ruby was  going to school to be a veterinary technician. She says, “What I love most about working with Paws, is the opportunity to make a difference in the lives I encounter. I love making a difference and being able to help as much as I can in those difficult times.”

Ruby wants Paws families to know that this isn’t just a job for her, it’s a career. “I like to think of Paws into Grace as my second home,” she says. “I was never able to find my spot in the work field. I was unable to find something I was passionate about until I found Paws into Grace.”

In her free time, Ruby enjoys visiting new places, writing, reading, spending time with her family and partner,and trying new foods! She also loves spending time with her two beautiful American bullies, Bruno and Peaches.

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Teresa, Client Care Specialist

Teresa joined Paws into Grace in August 2021. Growing up in the Military, Teresa is from everywhere but has spent most of her time in California. She has a BS in Zoology, focusing on Animal Behavior and Marine Mammalogy and has been working with animals for more than 30 years.

Teresa is grateful for the Paws into Grace mission to bring peace to pets and owners, and working with such like-minded coworkers.

In her free time, she enjoys reading, flipping furniture, napping, beach combing, antiquing, and spending time with her cats Everleigh, an 18 year old Siamese rescue, and Wren, a 6 year old DLH/Floof rescue.

Teresa is passionate about veterinary medicine and want owners to know how much heart and soul that veterinarians and support staff put into their daily work.

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Silvia Farfan, Animal Reiki Practitioner and Family Support

Silvia Farfan studied and obtained her degree in Sophrology in her native country of Colombia. After graduating she moved to France to complete her Master’s and PhD in Clinical Sophrology. Silvia established her practice in Paris in 1991. For the next 20 years she treated patients, taught at the University of Paris and conducted well-being seminars in France and Italy. During that time she kept enriching her knowledge by studying a variety of holistic approaches focused on achieving a healthy balance of body, mind and emotions.

After 24 years her journey has brought her to expand her practice by learning Reiki techniques from a well-known Reiki Master in San Diego, California. Reiki is a holistic system designed to channel healing energy that is used for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual healing. The principle of Reiki is harmony and balance.

Silvia continued her studies with more specific training on animal Reiki at the Animal Reiki Source in Santa Rosa, California. She has completed level 3 which certifies her as Shinpiden and Animal Reiki Teacher Training.

Currently Silvia treats her clients in a series of 4 to 10 sessions of 30 to 60 minutes each according to the specific needs of the animal. The purpose of applying animal Reiki is to create a healing space where a person or animal can enhance the healing process at a physical, mental or emotional level. Her ultimate goal is to improve quality of life by freeing the patient from pain, anxieties and emotional imbalances.