Born in Chardon, Ohio but raised in Kings Mills, south of Dayton, Hartigan graduated from Kings High School in 2011.
“I was interested in band and music as a child but also really liked science and biology,” Hartigan said. “I didn’t have anything specific in mind but decided I’d like to try medicine.”
Hartigan needed to make up her mind between human or animal medicine. She had several pets growing up and always loved visiting farms and zoos. She decided that turning her love of animals into a career was a perfect fit.
“I went to Ohio State University as an undergrad and stayed through vet school,” Hartigan said.
After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in biology in 2015, she was accepted into veterinary school and graduated in 2019. She found that she was interested in small animal medicine — taking care of mostly dogs and cats.
“I was really interested in the behavioral side of things with regard to medicine,” Hartigan said. “I wanted to work with animals to help them deal with anxiety when receiving medical care.”
After graduation, Hartigan’s first veterinary medicine job was in a clinic in Kettering, where she started working in 2019.
“I married my husband Adam in 2021, and we lived in Kettering and Sugarcreek Township,” Hartigan said. “We wanted to buy a house, and we found one we loved in Springboro.”
Shortly after buying her new home, Hartigan was beginning to think about leaving general practice. She researched and found Lap of Love, an organization started in 2009 in Tampa, Florida.
“Euthanizing family pets is very difficult,” Hartigan said. “But for whatever reason, the job fit my personality really well. I enjoy those moments where I can sit down and connect with families.”
Lap of Love has a goal of empowering every pet owner to provide superior care for their geriatric pets. The organization has a philosophy that centers around the human-animal bond and the need for that bond to be respected, especially at end of life.
“I was familiar with Lap of Love’s services when I was a general practitioner,” Hartigan said. “And I found I was interested in at home humane euthanasia for pets.”
Hartigan said when she was in private practice, she referred people to the service and started to see growing interest in keeping dying pets at home rather than causing them undo stress by transporting them elsewhere.
“We do try to encourage people not to wait until it is an emergency,” Hartigan said. “We’d rather people make this decision in advance and ensure they and their pets are at peace and comfortable.”
Realizing most euthanasia situations arise because of emergencies, Hartigan said Lap of Love is able to act quickly if needed, offering appointments sometimes last-minute. Her service area is within about a 30-mile radius from downtown Dayton, including Springfield, Vandalia and as far away as Jamestown.
“It’s still a sad job for sure,” Hartigan said. “But I think it’s how I approach these appointments that makes it different for me.”
Hartigan herself invited one of her colleagues from Lap of Love to come to her home in June to help her say goodbye to her own family dog.
“It was incredibly helpful to have someone else there to care for him and make sure he was comfortable and OK so I could focus on him,” Hartigan said. “My role is to make sure families have these moments the way they want them.”
This includes granting special requests from families, including sharing a special meal or treat with their pet, singing songs and praying together. Hartigan said she finds her job “incredibly rewarding.”
“It’s a true blessing to be able to relieve suffering, especially when we know there is no treatment available to extend their lives,” Hartigan said. “The pets are at peace in their own homes with their families. It’s ultimately a difficult decision that we can help make as peaceful as possible. We help families decide when the time is right to say goodbye.”
Contact this contributing writer at banspachwriter@gmail.com.
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