Gwyn's journey with animals began when she was barely two.  Her father put her onto the back of a pony.  A cold wind was blowing off the Ohio River, she was cold, teeth chattering, but every time he tried to take her off she cried.  And so it began ...

Most of her childhood was spent on a farm in Louisiana where she helped care for many of the farm animals.  They were her best friends and a great influence on her adult life.

She got married and had two sons.  The family was active  breeding, showing, and training dogs.  The boys were both top obedience competitors, and Gwyn was an obedience trainer.  Still, something was missing.  Gwyn wanted them to experience the richness of a more rural life, and so the family moved to the Shadow Hills area of Los Angeles.

Two show horses joined the family.  The boys were busy with their trainer, showing and caring for the horses, and working with their dogs.  They joined 4-H, and Gwyn became a project leader in both the horse and the dog projects.  Ryan wanted sheep as a project and Kevin fell in love with dairy goats - big time!

It wasn't long before sheep and French Alpine Dairy Goats were added to the mix.  The herd was on DHIA test and Jobi, the foundation doe, as a 2nd freshner, was #8 milking doe all breed in California and #3 French Alpine.  Needless to say, that fueled the fire and the herd grew!

Dairy animals are great teachers of the importance of care, comfort, and nutrition.  If not content and properly nourished, it shows in the milk bucket.  Managing show horses required alot of study and dedication, too, as did the family Shelties and a high-scoring Samoyed.  Keeping everyone in prime health and at peak performance was a dauting task, requiring study and research.

In time the dairy herd was phased out, but was soon replaced by llamas and exotic birds.  A brand new area of study, but one accelerated by years of experience.

What grew out of these experiences was the realization that many of the foods and care products on the market were ineffective, unsafe, and dangerous to the environment.  Long before non-toxic, commercial, herbal insect repellants were available, Gwyn made her own.  The research into herbs led her to study plant toxicity.

Gwyn wanted safe, Earth friendly  products that worked!  Fourteen years ago she was introduced to Oxyfresh and found a family of products that did meet her expectations.   Because of her dog show background, she was asked to help develop the Southern California pet market for Oxyfresh.  That led her to being a vendor at many dog and cat shows, where you may have met her. 

Healthy Companions is proud to offer you beneficial, safe products.  You will want them in your home ... and you can be confident they will meet your exacting standards! 

Gwyn's love for animals is a way of life.   What a wonderful journey it is!