Meet Raina!
Dignified Pet Services presents 'People in the Neighborhood'
“It’s Daisy’s house and we just live in it,” laughs Raina Dey, Public Relations Director for the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA). Daisy is her beloved cat, a 7-year-old long-hair domestic mix with Calico good looks. Raina says she rules the universe.
“Daisy had been at Cat Adoption Team for six months when my son and I went in on 12/12/12. She wasn't keen on other cats, so they had her in a separate plexiglass-type cat enclosure in the lobby. We saw her and we just knew. We said, ‘that’s our cat,’ and we were so right.” Daisy has her own Catmoji page (http://catmoji.com/daisy), which is like Instagram or Pinterest for cats.
A tennis player in high school, this outgoing PR pro says she’s a “kind of shy and private person. I do not share much of my personal life with people, so doing this interview is the most I probably will ever share or put out there.”
So enjoy, people!
About her beloved sport she shares, “I am obsessed with tennis. I find it so interesting to play and watch. I follow tennis pros like people follow celebrities. I’m a huge fan — I have been my whole life. Tennis is a great sport that you can play at any age; I think it’s a great metaphor for life,” shares this fit enthusiast of all things outdoors.
Photography is Dey’s favorite pastime, and a lifelong goal is to get a perfect shot of the moon. While on a 10-day trip to Montana’s Glacier National Park, she photographed a bear. “This may sound crazy, but I actually climbed on top of the VW bus and took photos of a black bear. There was also a bear in our campsite, but no photos of that one,” she laughs. “We didn't have cameras with us, and were too busy walking briskly in the opposite direction!”
With a bucket-list of travel destinations, this travel lover and hiker is currently reading The Map of Enough by Molly May, a beautifully written story all about “finding yourself in the world,” says Raina. “It takes place in Montana, and they build a yurt and learn about self-discovery. I am also a fan of mysteries by Elizabeth Peters, who writes about Egypt.”
“I would love to be able to travel back in time and visit the pyramids of ancient Egypt. To see King Tut’s tomb and his golden sandals. Those sandals look a lot like my flip flops!” She adds that of course hers are not gold, but sacred just the same....
“My shoe is definitely flip-flops, which I wear all the time — if it was warmer here, I would wear them pretty much every day of the year. They are not practical for hiking, otherwise I would totally wear them instead of hiking boots,” she says.
As a lover of all things ancient and mysterious Raina confesses that she really only has one weakness in life … yellow cake with chocolate frosting. “I really do not know why I love it, I just do. It always makes me feel better when I have it.”
When asked what animal she would like to be if someday she could travel back in time; without hesitation she replied, “Daisy the cat. I would want to be Daisy the cat as she has a pretty great life.”
About our Sponsor
Dignified Pet Services has served the Portland-area community for 13 years. In addition to their core business of cremation and memorial services, Dignified co-sponsors the beloved annual Service of Remembrance at The Old Church in downtown Portland, as well as serving as wonderful supporters and friends of pets and those working in animal welfare. Proprietors Michael, Randy and Avani live in Sherwood.
Melinda Thompson is a freelance writer with a degree in Speech Communications and a coveted "Ducktorate" from the Walt Disney World Company. She has been featured in many local magazines and newspapers. She lives in Vancouver USA with her husband, son and daughter.
The artists on the song are Brad Brandeau on marimba and vocals, Miles Dey on the fish (percussion) and vocals, and Raina Dey.