Lauren Hess is a Maryland native who grew up in nearby Ellicott City. She currently resides in Canton, making her uniquely sympathetic to those local pet parents who share her love of their own furry family members. Lauren grew up loving animals and worked in a veterinary hospital throughout high school and during her undergraduate studies. She didn't really decide to pursue it as a career until she was part way through her Master's Degree in Literature. She started with an interest in English Literature, but about three-quarters of the way through that Graduate program, she decided that her love of animals had gotten the better of her Lauren soon finished her education prerequisites and was accepted into the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. She now specializes as a small animal veterinarian, with particular interests in dermatology and soft tissue surgery. Along with her fiancé, the well-rounded veterinarian is the proud pet parent of a six-year-old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel named Rigsby, who loves playing fetch with them using his own little lacrosse ball [citation].