January 2023 Practitioner of the Month...Samantha Youngblood

Name: Samantha Youngblood

Location: Wilkinson, Indiana (Store) and Greenfield, IN (Home) USA

Certifications through Angel's Animals: I have achieved my Equine and Canine Kinesiology Taping Certification through Angel's Animals and am currently working on Small Animal Cranio-Sacral.  

When did you decide that you wanted to work with animals? In 2013 my horse was diagnosed with Emphysema and was scheduled to be euthanized.  I hired a CESMT to work on him and I have no doubt she saved his life with massage therapy.  He lived many more years and passed at 30 years old...I will forever be grateful to her.  This changed my entire way of thinking about my animals and the options for care that are out there.  

What animal influenced you the most growing up? My mom used to raise Newfoundland's and I always helped her with all of their care and attended the shows as well - this started my love for all animals and then I got my first dog.  She was the best Boston Terrier ever and gave me so many fun experiences in my childhood.  I would say my most influential animal was my dog Frank...he recently passed at 17 years old but he was my heart.  He started my sport dog career and we went on many adventures together all over the USA.  

What animals do you currently own? I have:
4 Dogs: Caution (Border Staffy 9yo), BZRK (Boston Terrier 7yo), Finale (Boston Terrier 4yo) and Psycho (Border Staffy 2yo)

 3 Cats: Winter (11yo Sphynx), Rumpleteazer (6yo Lykoi) and Mortimer Brewster (5-month-old Sphynx)

1 Mule: Marilyn (Approximately 20yo)

On our family farm we also have another mule named Luther that belongs to my mom and we have a family donkey named Fritz.  Also a few chickens  We also raise lambs and beef cattle...raising your own meat is the way to go!

What makes your animal nutrition practice stand out? I have a natural animal care center where we have all healthy items for your cats and dogs as well as a horse section too!  We have a rehab center located in the lower level where we offer massage, ANMR, kinesiology taping, red light therapy and thermography.  I feel that by encompassing all of this together we are able to offer the complete package from food, supplements and rehab.  We also have an outdoor pool where we can offer swimming lessons and many clients use it for swimming rehab as well.  

What message would you like to share with potential clients? My message is always based on God...Ask the animals what they think...let them teach you...Job 12:7 and this is what I always go by in our facility.  Our clients trust our knowledge and training and I am so extremely grateful for Angel's Animals for the education I have and will continue to obtain from them.  I am always looking for more knowledge and we always tell our clients that we never stop learning.  They are family and our number one priority is their health, safety and happiness.  We want to empower our clients to learn as well and educating them is a huge part of what we do...when you know better...you do better.  

What message would you like to share with others who are thinking about pursing a career in animal health? I would say to follow your heart and get ready for a ton of work!  I never dreamed the amount of hard work and financial hardship that would follow when I made the jump to do this profession but I also would not change it for the world!  I am entering my 10th year in business and it still likes to give me a run for my money but looking back at all the beautiful animals I have had the honor to care for makes all the blood, sweat and tears worth it!  If this is your passion...absolutely go for it and know that you will be changing lives which will also change your life for the better!

VISIT SAMANTHA'S WEBSITE