We all have a journey set before us. It is the path that we choose to take that sets us all apart. Our intentions decide if we take the road less traveled, For thus is laid course to the deepest essence of our heart.
-Diana S. Bokhari

My journey towards animal causes became apparent to me when as a six year old I tried to take on several teenage boys who where torturing a kitten in an alley behind the building where we lived. To this day I thank God that He sent my then much younger Grandmother to save me from their wrath…or was it to save them from mine, I’m not quite sure. I remember this event so clearly after all this time, because the fusion of emotions that flooded me were no different than the ones I feel now as an adult every time that I see any animal suffer.

The particular path that led me to the creation of Naturalanimal in 2001, was laid before me in 1998 when we adopted our first dog, Kelly. This path was laid before me by a profound need to help my late German Shepherd, who then at three years old was constantly suffering from allergies and gastrointestinal disorders. Because we adopted Kelly as an adult, I knew very little about dogs, and, as almost all pet guardians, I heavily relied on what I heard from just about everybody except my own common sense. I had tried every available commercial food that I could find, even the ones that claimed to be “natural” would only work for a short period of time, and it was back to the drawing board and plenty of antibiotics.

Because I was studying nutrition for humans at that time, I began to make a connection between what’s healthy to eat and what isn’t. I began educating myself by first having read Ann Martin’s book, Food Pets Die For. What I read in that book shocked me, disgusted me, and forever changed me. It changed my life, and it laid course to the revolution of the pet food industry in Quebec from what it used to be before better alternatives were made available to the general public. The idea was simple; if there are health food stores, naturopaths and homeopaths that we can go to for ourselves, then why don’t we have the same thing available for our beloved pets? The concept had never been tried before, and was therefore a definite risk to take…but then again, so was taking on those teenagers. It just had to be done.

From the very first day that Naturalanimal opened its doors, the amount of positive feedback has been truly overwhelming. First and foremost, the touching comments from people who would walk in and ask “where have you been?” never failed to bring tears of joy and appreciation to my eyes. I always felt as though all my thoughts, aspirations and intentions have been embraced by so many people, and it strives me to always better myself in offering them the education and assistance that they seek. Every time someone tells me that their pet has improved in the slightest of ways because of something that I recommended, brings me to an emotional and spiritual high that words cannot describe.

Every time that an abandoned or abused animal finds refuge at, or a loving home through my center, my heart sings that I am fulfilling my mission here and that I am making a difference. As difficult as my road to reach this day may have been, the spiritual lessons that I have learned, and the treasures that my heart has collected, are truly priceless. I have gained strength to continue in my vocation for animals, no matter how difficult it may seem at times. And I have learned that the greater the challenge, the greater one’s resolve becomes when adversity is perceived as an opportunity to make a difference through faith in yourself, in the Universe, and in your purpose. Mother Teresa said it best when she said that “we cannot do great things, only small things with great love.”

Namaste, I greet the light within you.

Diana S. Bokhari