Dr. Rachel was born and raised in the Annapolis Valley, and she returned home to practice small animal veterinary medicine after graduating from the University of Prince Edward Island’s Atlantic Veterinary College in 2017. She currently works part-time as a general practitioner at the Annapolis Animal Hospital and part-time as the main veterinarian for Hearts at Home.

From a young age, Dr. Rachel dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. While she always knew she wanted to care for animals, she later discovered an unexpected and deeply meaningful passion for helping beloved pets and their families during end-of-life care. What began as part of general practice gradually grew into a calling to provide gentle, supportive in-home euthanasia services—an idea that would eventually become the dream behind Hearts at Home.

Dr. Rachel pursued specialized training in compassionate and peaceful end-of-life care through the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA) to become a Certified Peaceful Euthanasia Veterinarian (CPEV). 

Throughout her career, Dr. Rachel has helped many families say goodbye to their pets in the clinical setting (including her own). However, she experienced firsthand how important and special in-home euthansia can be when she said goodbye to her own beloved kitty in the comfort of her family’s home, surrounded by loved ones. That experience deeply affirmed her dream of helping other families have the opportunity to share a similarly gentle and loving farewell for their beloved companions.