A new logo - A horse, a schnauzer, and paw prints

When I decided to move forward and begin offering alternative services on an in-home basis to dogs and cats and add these service for horses, I decided it was time to finally get my own legit logo.  For years I've used a logo that is really just clip art - a running horse.  When I started on the venture of having a logo designed, I did not know where to start.  Like any normal person, I posted on Facebook that I needed a logo.  I received several recommendations, including one from my own brother, Slade Julius.  Him.  I had forgotten that he does graphic design through his business The Fearless Blogger.

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A few days after posting the need for a logo, I spoke to Slade on the phone.  We had a conversation of what my business and brand meant to me.  I told him that I wanted a brand that signified what I worked hard for.  A brand that represented my meaning for going down this road of alternative medicine and house calls.  I wanted a brand that showed that I cared, and that I wanted every pet owner to feel heard and appreciated.  I wanted a brand that represented light and hope.  Not that long ago hope failed me because I did not know where to look.  On Saturday, November 12th, 2016 I lost the love of my life - a miniature schnauzer named Pyper.  Pyper was not just a dog to me.  She was my best friend.  I would have done anything in the world to save her! ​

After Pyper passed away 30 hours after emergency surgery for a septic abdomen at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center in St. Paul, MN, I look back at our situation, and wonder what could have been done differently?  For months I beat myself up wondering what I could have changed about that horrible day.  When Pyper suffered her neck injury from jumping off an agility teeter, would it have saved her to have done acupuncture?  Would it have saved her to start laser that day?  Would it have saved her to do herbal therapy?  I don't know.  All I know is it might save the next dog.  It might save someone else's Pyper.

Half of my logo is dedicated to Pyper and my love for all things schnauzer, represented by a schnauzer silhouette and Pyper's actual front paw prints tracking across the side.  The color purple was her color.

On the other half is a horse head.  If you look through my website and Facebook page, you will see lots of injury photos of a big bay Quarter Horse named JR.  JR was born Wednesday, April 15th, 1992, and 6 months later he found his way into my life.  I was 8 years old.  JR has been my constant companion for over 25 years.  We grew up together.  JR is the love of my life, when it comes to horses.  Unfortunately, as my life has become busier, it has had less time for him.  But, I promise him that I will give him more now!  He has taught me patience, strength, and endurance.  He has always been my shoulder to cry on, the hug I've needed when I'm down, and he has offered me strength when I feel like I have nothing left to give.  The color blue has been JR's color his whole life.

This logo may not be for everyone, but for me it represents everything about me.  It has a story.  A story that cannot be taken away!  It's a story I am proud to tell, and will tell over and over and over again, because as long as I have my stories, my Pyper and my JR will live forever!

​~Dr. Shantel