i'm john heinz, owner of gray shepherd.

(formerly Shepherd and Grey Daycare and Guesthouse in Cold Spring)

A lifelong animal lover and longtime caregiver, I have more than 13 years' full-time professional experience spanning three iterations of my pet care business as I moved it from Jersey City to Cold Spring to Kingston. I've worked with practically all dog breeds and sizes, numbering in the hundreds, and I have an affinity for large, powerful breeds that for many can be tough to handle. I also have extensive experience with cats and more notably domesticated birds, from parakeet to cockatiel to macaw. My approach to care for all has evolved over the years into one of thoughtful observation, intuition, patience, and flexibility. I've learned very well that, like us, each animal is special and unique—what works for one simply may not for the next.

Through the ASPCA and other welfare organizations, I've been lucky to foster and parent animals of various ages, abilities, and challenging temperaments. These include an affectionate, high-strung German shepherd mix named Murphy and my now-32-year-old Byron, a bright and bossy African grey parrot—the pets who lent my business its name when I began it in 2012.

My animals have afforded me some of the most dimensional and profound relationships of my life. They have always meant the world to me, and so I understand just what yours means to you. As the sole handler and caregiver of my nearly 14-year-old service, I vow to treat your pet as I would my own—with kindness, appreciation, love, and respect.

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