Capturing Unconditional Love for Pets: A New Way to Remember Pets with DNA is Love

Have you ever wished you could hold onto a piece of your beloved pet forever? In this heartwarming episode, I sit down with Dave Latorra and Stephanie Ford, the innovative minds behind DNA is Love, a company that's revolutionizing the way we memorialize our furry friends.

As a scientist with a PhD in molecular biology, Dave brings his expertise to the table, explaining the fascinating process of extracting and preserving DNA from our pets. Stephanie, with her background in hospice care, adds a compassionate touch to their mission of helping pet owners create lasting connections with their animal companions.

The Science of Love

Dave walks us through the meticulous DNA extraction process, from the simple cheek swab to the final purified sample. You'll be amazed at how this tiny piece of your pet can be preserved for hundreds of years, allowing you to carry a part of them with you always.

More Than Just DNA

But DNA is Love isn't just about science. Stephanie shares her personal journey and how losing loved ones inspired her to find new ways to honor and remember them. Their company offers a range of beautiful, customizable jewelry and picture frames that can hold your pet's DNA, creating a tangible link to your furry friend.

Preserving Stories and Memories

We also discuss the importance of storytelling and preserving family history, including our pets' stories.

This episode is a must-listen for any pet owner who wants to celebrate the special bond they share with their fur family members. You'll come away with a new appreciation for the science of love and the many ways we can keep our pets' memories alive.

To Learn more about DNA is Love visit their Website and follow them on Instagram.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Pet Memorial Options
• 8:51 Meet the DNA is Love Founders
• 19:56 The Science Behind DNA Preservation
• 29:21 Combining Science and Memory
• 38:24 Personal Stories of Pet Memorialization
• 46:57 Creating Lasting Legacy Through DNA
• 55:16 Closing Thoughts and Resources

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:06

Hello, my friend, welcome to a brand new episode of the story of my pet. I'm your host, julie Marty Pearson, and I am very much looking forward to sharing this episode with you. I love talking about pets, obviously, but one of the things that I really enjoy doing on this podcast is talking about our pets, past and present, and really focusing on the grief and loss that we all as for moms and dads go through when we have lost a pet or we have an elderly pet or a sick pet, that we're dealing with some what we call anticipatory grief, where we're anticipating the fact that we're going to have to make some difficult decisions or possibly lose our pet in the near future. And because there's been so many conversations around grief and loss when it comes to our treasured pets, one company that I'm very excited to share with you is called DNA is Love. This company was founded on the idea that we need to remember our important pets and people while they are still with us, and what DNA is Love has created are different ways to memorialize our pets and human friends, that we can capture their DNA while they're still here, and that DNA can be encapsulated into beautiful pieces of jewelry and art and picture frames that we will cherish for many, many years to come.

Speaker 2: 1:45

I currently have a pet that is in this stage of life Charlie, our cat is 16. And, having lost several pets before him, I know there are things that I want to do now, while I have him here, so that I have a piece of him with me, and one of the things I have done is to get a piece of jewelry from DNA is Love, and I will be sharing more here on the podcast about that process of me getting Charlie's DNA and sending it to the company and having them create this piece of jewelry. But my conversation with the founders of DNA is Love, stephanie and Dave, are really going to help you get a sense of why they decided to do this, how the process works and why it is such an important topic for us to talk about here on the podcast. So, without further details, enjoy this conversation with Stephanie and Dave from DNA is Love. Dave from DNA is Love.

Speaker 2: 2:53

Welcome to a new episode of the Story of my Pet podcast. I am your host, julie Marty Pearson, as always, and I am happy to welcome two new friends. I like to say my guests become my friends through this podcast. I'm very excited to have both Dave and Stephanie here with me today. Hello, thank you both for being here. Thank you.

Speaker 2: 3:12

Hi so we'll get into all the things. But to start off with give the listeners a little idea instead of me reading off a boring bio, stephanie and Dave, can you each just do a little intro about who you are, where you're coming from and why you love animals or how animals are a part of your life, whatever you feel you want to share? Oh.

Speaker 3: 3:38

I love it. I'll start. Yes, I'm Stephanie Ford and I am Zooming in here from Portland Oregon. And yeah, how did we get started on this?

Speaker 3: 3:50

A number of years ago, dave and I met and we started talking about ideas for a business. I was doing hospice and caregiving at the time, and when Dave was talking about ways to memorialize people and pets, I just thought. When Dave was talking about ways to memorialize people and pets, I just thought, oh, wow, this is exactly the direction I would love to go in after being in hospice care, realizing the importance of holding on to these memories and a part of someone you know, because we just never know. And so when the idea hit, I thought, oh, this is brilliant. And, knowing Dave's story and how long he's been doing this, I thought, oh, this is a really neat way, one of many, to remember the ones that we love. And so, yeah, that's kind of how this journey started.

Speaker 3: 4:36

I have a cat named Yeti, who I've had for 13 years, and he is my life, truly. My kids are like he's the favorite child and I think maybe. But yeah, when we started this business, yeti got a lot of swabbing done, so we can talk this down for the felines, you know, in the DNA process. So that was a lot of fun. But yeah, I'm an absolute pet lover. Have had pets my whole life and just know how much of a part of our hearts they are. They're part of the family, they're everything.

Speaker 1: 5:09

So yeah, that's a little background on me.

Speaker 1: 5:13

Good, well, I'm Dave LaTorre, right, I am a scientist. I've been a scientist for a long time. That goes way back. I'm actually a DNA guy. I've studied biology, molecular biology. I have a PhD in the arts, in the field, and have kind of a long and winding career through many different kind of things, different kind of positions, different kind of applications of molecular testing.

Speaker 1: 5:40

And then, yeah, stephanie mentioned, I've had this idea for a long, long time just how do you hold on to somebody close to you, whether it's a person or a pet? So we just, you know, hashed over some um business ideas and um, dna of love is what we came up with and found it so that we, we love the name. That's kind of what it is, um, and it's a way to kind of personalize and memorialize. It was somebody that's either living or a pet that's living or has passed away, just to have something special to hold on to. So we have a quite a process and we'll talk through you know how we do it and how it all works and things, but that's kind of how we got our start in this and just, you know, entrepreneur, we're kind of serial entrepreneurs at this point, honestly. So there we are.

Speaker 2: 6:29

That's so funny because I you know, since being kind of more in the business world the last five years, I realized once you do it, once it's like it's just it's in your blood and you're always thinking of the next new thing or how can I do it differently. So I totally get what?

Speaker 2: 6:42

you're saying Absolutely. But I think because of that in the business world it's almost like we have so many opportunities now. It allows us to try things you know we wouldn't have even thought of five years ago or 10 years ago. Even podcasting you couldn't have told me five years ago I would have two podcasts and be doing this, let alone about pets and all of that. So I totally get what you guys are saying in terms of sometimes we have these idea, but it has to be the right time for it to get created.

Speaker 2: 7:12

So one thing I have definitely learned through podcasting and pet podcasting is we love our pets. Everyone loves to talk about our pets, but we all go through a lot when we lose them or preparing to lose them. And obviously behind me is a wall of photos for different reasons. But that's always been part of my life, even when I was a kid and had dogs.

Speaker 2: 7:37

But as I've gotten older, I realized I don't want to think about it after they're gone, and so I think that's what I love about your company and how you talk about it, whether it's a person or a pet that we don't like to think about that, because we want to live in the now and be living, but we also want to have those moments and those cherished pieces of someone or something to hold on to after, and so it's kind of a process to think about it now, but I think about my cats from years and years ago that I wish I had been able to do something like this with, to have those pieces now. So let's talk about, let's start with, the science, and then we can talk about the actual products and how people can do them and all of that so from a science perspective you talked about how you had an idea and where.

Speaker 2: 8:32

How did you decide DNA specifically and then go into the actual products you are able to use that with?

Speaker 1: 8:40

Sure, well, I mean, dna is kind of the living part of all of us. It's the DNA is a macromolecule, deoxyribonucleic acid for those who need a little refresher from maybe high school or college to DNA and it's in every cell and every body and it's in all living things plants, people, pets, all of it, any kind of animal, all of them based on DNA. And it's the heritable thing, it's the, it's the genetic legacy that we have through each other and it's inherited down through the generations too. So you know if you have your family's dna. That's how it started. For me was actually family research. I was testing I was doing graduate research and testing different DNA markers for identification of people, and I also had to see how those DNA markers reacted in pets, you know, in different animals, to see how specific they were to human.

Speaker 2: 9:34

Right.

Speaker 1: 9:35

So I gathered up some samples from my family right, and it's very straightforward. We have a kind of a simple we've tried to make it definitely as simple as possible for people which we've done just through basically a simple cheek swabbing procedure. And then I have kind of an elegant process I work through in the lab. Elegant but simple, but very effective, very clean DNA. We break open the cells. Dna is in the cells, the cheek cells, we get that out. We break open the cells. Dna is in the cells, the cheek cells, we get that out. We break the cells apart.

Speaker 1: 10:08

Then we put a treatment in there and with the magnetic beads we actually capture the DNA and hold it on to the side of the tube with magnets. When that step in the process is on, then we wash away all the other things the proteins, the lipids, the cell wall and stuff, a few washes and things, and then at the end we just let it go off the magnet. So we have a nice pure DNA sample. Another thing we do is we confirm the DNA work from every single sample that we have. We don't just trust the process. I actually literally go and check through PCR, polymerase, chain reaction. That sample worked. So we, you know, your cat's DNA actually is your DNA sample that's so great.

Speaker 2: 12:46

I love that. My science mind is like oh my gosh, I love all the things, but I also get what you are. Have created a process that you remove the things that could decay it or affect you know holding on to it, but you're also checking along those paths to make sure the DNA itself is still there and intact, so you actually have it left over at the end. I guess that's maybe a simpler explanation.

Speaker 1: 13:12

Yeah, you summed it up great, and you know that's because every person's sample is important to them. No, we don't Again. I just I mean, the process works 99.9 percent of the time, but I want to make sure, we want to make sure every person gets their DNA. We actually tell you how much is in there. We provide a certificate that comes with the product and it tells you you know DNA was found and it's at this amount. And boom, there you go. I love it because you know DNA was found and it's at this amount.

Speaker 2: 13:38

And boom, there you go. I love it because, you know, dna is what makes us unique. It is what makes us connected to our families and our ancestors, but it also we're our own unique blend of all of those things, and so I love the idea of thinking about the in terms of our pets. Yes, there's millions of cats out there, but my Charlie is his own unique blend of all the things, right, and so I love, in a way, you're capturing.

Speaker 2: 14:05

But as you were talking about the science, I was also thinking, yeah, that's what I did when I did Ancestry. I swabbed my cheek and I sent it in and then, you know, my mom did it and my sister did it and I can go in there and look at what part I get from her and what I get from my dad, probably. So it made me think about how much we have moved forward in that in the last 10 to 20 years, that we have so much more access to be able to use our DNA and store it in different ways. So I'm sure that is what made the timing of this business for you guys also made sense, because it has become more accessible.

Speaker 3: 14:42

Yeah, it has, and so I love that you did that, you know, because it is really cool to see how we are connected. And I think you know, I think the statistics are, we are 99.9% the same, you know, and it's 0.1% variation, you know, and it's right zero one percent variation.

Speaker 3: 14:58

You know, that makes us unique and different, and to me that's beautiful, because that's what makes the world go round. And you're right. I look at my cat, yeti, and I think you are one of a kind and sometimes we get mad about right now what a kindness they do.

Speaker 2: 15:13

I know what a kindness they do, so I would love to thank you so much, dave, for explaining the science. You fulfilled a part of me. I'm a science girl. I love that part, but I also have the psychology part of me. So then that comes to Stephanie.

Speaker 2: 15:29

As someone who worked in hospice, who worked in a field that you are dealing with grief and loss and death every day, a field that you are dealing with grief and loss and death every day, you know I can see the bridge between both of what you guys did in your past and how that came together for that company. But from your perspective and having worked in that area, what made you want to start a company in this kind of arena? Oh wow.

Speaker 3: 15:53

I have always had the dream, you know, to somehow build a community or a place where we could honor the people who have passed, and I think I've had so many dear friends who I've had to say goodbye to for now and I just think, oh, the world needs to know who you are, and these are just good, everyday people who have done incredible things, and I was so fortunate to be with them. You know, just bring to life the people that we love and the pets that we love, and I've been fortunate to meet some incredible pets over the years, you know, because that's part of the job, it's just you go in and help people with this stage of life, and so this has always been a dream of mine, and to share the stories of those people in pets, because they make such a difference and so.

Speaker 3: 17:03

So that's kind of where it started for me and I I love to read obituaries just because I think, oh, I find people fascinating and I and so.

Speaker 3: 17:12

So, when Dave came up with this idea long ago and kind of mentioned, oh, I've had this thought of putting DNA into jewelry or somehow preserving DNA for people, and I thought, oh, this is really incredible because there really are so many ways. We've got creamer scratches, we've got so many different options and I think they're all beautiful I really do and I just thought, oh, this is one more unique way to hold on someone you love. And so I was able to get my dad's sample. He ended up in ICU with 5% chance to live, and so I was able to race over to the hospital and get a swab from him and then preserve his DNA, which I carry here. And that was super meaningful because I just thought, oh, wow, how grateful I am and he survived and he's doing great, thank goodness. But how grateful I am just anytime I go for a walk, anytime I go birdwatching, anytime I get outside, I just think, oh, you're here, you know, and people kind of touch it and say, oh, you're here and so that's the beautiful thing.

Speaker 3: 18:18

So, whether living or past is, what I love about this product is you can do it both ways.

Speaker 2: 18:25

And I love that too, because I think so many of us are at an age where our parents are getting older or things are changing in life. I had actually moved this interview because I had four different friends lose a parent within two weeks and it was a lot. And I realized I couldn't come up and talk about this right now because all of that experience is triggering my loss of my dad seven years ago and even though I could have done it, I just I knew I wouldn't be clear headed and people don't get until they go through that, what that feeling is like when you lose someone and you're processing and all of that. And we go through that with our pets. You know, I always say we spend more time with our pets than we spend with most people, let alone most of our families, and they're there in the hardest times, in the easiest times. You know they celebrate the good stuff and the bad with us, so having a piece of them with us is really important to so many of us.

Speaker 2: 19:20

I always tell the story of the tennis ball for my childhood dog, champ, but I think back to God, I wish I had better quality pictures of him. I wish I had a piece of him in other ways. I've seen people use cat whiskers and jewelry. I've seen people, when they brush their dogs, hold on to the fur and they create stuffed animals with them. There's so many things now that can be done, but people don't even realize it. So when you reached out to me with this company, I was like, yes, I want to share, I want parents to realize there are many options that you can do now or later to memorialize your pets. So how has starting this company in the world of pets and loss and all of that been for both of you, I'm sure?

Speaker 3: 20:04

it's been a journey. It has been a journey and we've met really incredible people. That's the beauty of this job is just the people and the pets. So, learning the stories. I think what I love about DNA is Love is it's both the heart and the science, and I think we really strive to build that because these are really important samples to us, these are really important stories to us and we hold them really close to our heart. And so, yeah, I think we've had a lot of fun. We have done some horse dna, which was a really neat project for a wonderful, wonderful woman, and oh, I love that. That was to just think, oh my gosh, we are doing this and. And so, yeah, we've done plenty of cats, plenty of dogs. Uh, we're hoping to get some more unique animals. Yeah, dave, can we?

Speaker 1: 20:57

get those.

Speaker 1: 21:00

Definitely. Yeah, anything that's, you know, mammal, we can check with the PCR primers that we currently do, but we can expand that out if we get, you know, unique requests and stuff. You know something I want to add too, and just how all this stuff kind of comes full circle, Julie is you know another aspect that we're I said we're serial entrepreneurs, right Like Stephanie's actually just launching a site called Stories with Steph and it is literally where she's putting together video tributes of people with their pets. It could be pet based, it could be family based and things. So it's those important things, it's the stories that connect us all together and that connection and then also having something physically to hold on to.

Speaker 1: 21:42

You know our jewelry. We have picture frames where you could put photos of your loved ones and then a dna goes in a bar that attaches into the frame and we can actually mix samples together. If you had more than one pet or, you know, dog or cat, we could totally do that. So there's a lot of room to grow and expand, but we're kind of full circle. But it is the stories that connect us and the physical, the tangible, you know. I think those things together make a very powerful option for people that want to remember.

Speaker 2: 22:16

You know, it is about the remembrance and the caring right, and you know that's something I've learned so much through just my podcasting in the last five years that a lot of why we like podcasts or books or audiobooks or those we all like it is because it is about the story. It's not just about, like me, teaching or talking about myself or whatever. It's about sharing stories, and that's why people respond to interview based TV shows and podcasts. It's all about the us sharing our experiences and that's what connects all of us humans. But I've also found that telling stories about our pets is also a way to share our experience but then connect with other people that have that same bond and also to use the experiences to get more people to take care of animals and all of this.

Speaker 2: 23:04

You know it's such a big thing, but ultimately it's about legacy, and so I, you know, have realized that's why a lot of us podcast is it's about legacy. I have a friend who had a great podcast and she passed away and we're paying what her friend is paying and we're all contributing to keep the podcast alive so that her legacy, her story and her impact continues. So that's what I love about the world now is we have so many options, but then it's kind of hard to choose. What do I want to do? So many options, but then it's kind of hard to choose. What do I want to do? Yes, how do I want to memorialize by pet or person or whatever it may be. And so talk a little bit about how you guys decided for what products you do offer at this point.

Speaker 3: 23:51

Yeah, I think what we really wanted to create were meaningful pieces that represent love and connection, and you know. So we have a number. I'm wearing the Living Heart pendant right now. We have an infinity necklace, and all of these can be engraved, all of them can be customized and you know they're fillable. So what Dave does is he does the whole process and it's really neat to watch and you know I didn't know a lot about DNA when we got this.

Speaker 3: 24:22

I was like read from biology and so I think my cat was one of the first samples we ran and I was there for the whole process and watching how Dave is meticulously, does his craft, his art. It's amazing and beautiful to watch. And so he'll take it through the whole process and then run it through the PCR machine and when you see the curves I'm learning kind of go up, I think, and he said we got, got it, and there was something in that moment like wow, that's amazing. And and then to see the clean, purified dna of my cat right will last for hundreds of years if needed.

Speaker 3: 25:09

you know that's a really cool thing, and so seeing the process and then having this tangible reminder- of.

Speaker 3: 25:19

Yeti means everything. It means everything, and so I'm grateful I was able to see that in action and just to have a part of him with me forever. He's 13, you know, and I just think, okay, 13 is the new 30, you know, which is bad years, but I think he's good. He's good but truly it's in my mind. You know I don't want to live in the thought of, oh, what happens? But you're absolutely right, I think he has been with me through the toughest times, you know, and my kids have grown and they've left the house and this cat is just every night right here on my shoulder and I just think I love him more than life itself, truly, and so I am grateful for the years I have. I am grateful for the memories, because I know people lose pets all along the way way too soon, and it's devastating. It's really really hard. So I am grateful that I do have a piece of him with me always.

Speaker 2: 26:20

Yeah, and I think it's hard because a lot of us don't want to think about the death when we're living, right, whether it's our pets or our family or ourselves. But we also have to realize, like you said and I think maybe the pandemic and COVID made us all think about it a lot more you never know what could happen. And it's funny, with all the loss that's been happening around me. I'll say to my husband he's like they're all older, like you know, it's OK and it's like no, but it's different and it doesn't matter if someone passes away at 95 or 35. Like it's all loss, it's all sad and we never know what our life plan is. And we also don't know for our pets, like you said.

Speaker 2: 27:00

You know I have a cat who's almost 16, but I also have a two-year-old that she could get sick, something could happen. So it's this idea of giving people a chance to think about it and how best they want to memorialize someone while they have options of whether that swabbing DNA versus having just the ashes left over from a pet and that's something I thought about when I met you guys, thinking, oh yeah, I have ashes from two pets, but then I also have three living cats. So that idea that there's options for us, no matter where you are in your grief process or your life.

Speaker 3: 27:34

Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 27:35

Yeah, definitely. You know, julia, as you mentioned, right, you just don't know, like you don't know what tomorrow will bring, right, could be an accident, it could be unexpected. I mean, we do. We can also fill our jewelry with cremation ashes and we do have that as an option on the website for people that only have that left. We could even possibly mix ashes together with DNA. You know, we're kind of specialized in DNA, but I call it the slurry myself. So it's an option, like if people would want that. So, again, we can customize and we can do some things for people. We can help people hang on to those loved ones and those memories, you know, in many different ways.

Speaker 2: 28:14

And I think that's great. The science and the technology allows us options like you're talking about, but I've also realized that, with pets specifically, sometimes it just is something you don't realize you want. So, as I've done this podcast, I've met people who are artists and draw or paint photos of pets. Right, that's something that's become very popular. I mean, look at behind me, most of these are other people's art that I've put up or a photo, and so I think there's also a creativity in it that we get to pick something that's meaningful for us.

Speaker 2: 28:50

So, like me, stephanie, the necklace you're wearing is what I looked at for doing with Charlie, because I love jewelry, I love hearts. That's something that means something to me. But a picture frame I love too, because obviously I like pictures and I have picture frames of all my old pets behind me. You know, I think a lot of that is. It gives you, as those who are creating the products and the company's, creativity and able to try new things, but it also allows for a vast number of options for us as buyers, to decide what is meaningful to us. So did you think about that and talk about that as you? Obviously, dave, you were doing the science, but thinking about science wise, what you could actually use to hold this piece of DNA.

Speaker 1: 29:38

Yeah, we totally did. We sourced, you know, we looked far and wide to find what we were looking for and the key is kind of that it's fillable. So it actually these are jewelry pieces that we'll unscrew a little bit and they're hollowed out inside. So we'll put the DNA in and then seal it up and, as Stephanie mentioned, even if the liquid would disperse out from that over time and evaporate a little bit, the dna will adhere to the walls of the tube and that dna isn't there for as long as we're going to be around, and a lot longer, you know. So that's something, and maybe steph can talk about how she's the shopper, the producer, I would say, and I'm more the science end, but we really brought it together, I think.

Speaker 2: 30:21

I could definitely see how you guys you need both of you Like you're the science, you're the process, and then you're the one that says, well, this is a good idea, will it fit, will this work. So I love that. You know you guys really needed each other for it but were able to kind of make it work because of both sides of what you do.

Speaker 3: 30:40

Absolutely. And yeah, and that was a fun part of the process. It really was. I'm trying to select the right things that were meaningful. You know, there's one with a butterfly on it and I feel like my mom. She passed away in 2011. There's not a day I don't go by that I don't think about her, but I do feel like she'll come to me as a butterfly sometime and I'll be out and just thinking and a butterfly will fly by and I think, oh, hi, mom.

Speaker 2: 31:08

And yeah, I have to say, when I looked at your website, the one with the butterfly really stood out to me. It was very pretty and it was like in the back of my head my mom loves butterflies. She's still here. I'm thought, well, maybe this is somebody telling me this would be a perfect thing to do now while I have her here. So I love that some of the pieces and ideas came from your own experiences and people you've lost.

Speaker 3: 31:31

Absolutely so. That one for sure is very meaningful to me, and so that's what we hope to create. And then we just have some simple pieces, because I'm not a huge jewelry, I like simple, and so we went with the bar pendant and a few pieces like that. And then we did earrings and we thought, why not? Because they were, you know, give it a try. And so that was a really fun process and working with our vendor was an experience, and we just met the best people along the generations.

Speaker 3: 32:02

And that's where my passion truly lies is just in genealogy work and family history and understanding where we come from and carrying the stories forward. And then I think DNA goes right with that Literally carry our ancestors forward in us. And when Dave was explaining the science behind how that all works and the genes we bring over from our parents, and he was showing me paternity reports you know, of how you can see what you get from whom and I just thought, oh, this is science, which I love, and I also love the heart. I love just the unknown, the beauty of the connection, that of love truly, and so that's how we came up with the name of DNA is love.

Speaker 2: 33:07

Yeah, I think that's so true. You know, I thinking, like I mentioned earlier, about doing my own ancestry with DNA. Part of DNA and history, it's all a part of the story. It's the story. But I can hear a story about my ancestor but the DNA shows me scientifically what parts I got from them are the same or similar. It's all a part of passing on our history. Our stories, our family and pets are a part of that history Absolutely. And as you guys were talking about unique pets, I started visualizing me with a little swab swabbing one of our tortoises' mouths. Oh, my husband's going to think I'm crazy.

Speaker 3: 33:52

Oh, we would love to do that one yeah.

Speaker 2: 33:56

And it's. You know it's so funny because everybody loves their pets, whatever they are. But my husband grew up with this big yard that they got tortoises. I don't know how it started. Well, the problem with tortoises you can't get them fixed like you can get a cat or a dog fixed, and so they just keep mating and having more. So when we bought our house gosh, almost 13 years ago now, one of the first things he did was bring one of the tortoises here. He's like well, I got to take a male out, so there's less tortoises being. But it was also a tortoise that he had lived with since he was younger, when it was a hatchling Rufus.

Speaker 2: 34:36

Our first tortoise came and lived here and it was our tortoise now, but he'd actually been along the whole at that point, 20 years. We'd known each other. You know, sometimes pets are a part of our history in ways that are much more meaningful than just. This is my cat. You know it's a part of his family history. He knows how to take care of tortoises because he grew up with them and was taught how to take care of them. You know, there is that element of family history and passing things on that I think comes out in our pets also and makes it even more meaningful for us right.

Speaker 3: 35:10

Oh, it absolutely does and it makes me think of you know, my dad grew up on a 200 acre ranch in Wyoming and he, his beloved pet, was a horse named Red Wing. And he would ride Red Wing to school at five in the morning, you know, because school was 40 miles away. Like that's the family lore.

Speaker 1: 35:32

But we all have those stories, we're not really sure how true they are, but they're passed down, they're getting bigger yeah. They're exaggerated. The mileage is exaggerated A little less.

Speaker 2: 35:42

The size of the horse and you know snow and all the things.

Speaker 1: 35:45

Right.

Speaker 3: 35:47

But that horse has become a part of our history, like we all know, my dad's horse, red Wing, you know because he would talk about him and you're right, so I do think that's part of our story.

Speaker 2: 35:59

You know it's funny. Maybe our dads knew each other, but my dad, when he was growing up, his grandparents had a farm and a ranch in Wyoming that he spent a lot of time in, so he always loved horses. Because of that I have a horse photo. One of the reasons I love and have a creation for them because he would always talk about them. So, right Again, that's family history, and he was an animal lover, just like I was, and so that's a part of it too it's that we're not just memorializing the individual person or pet, we're memorializing that place in our life and our history, our family. You know, like you said, your cat is still there with you, even though your kids are grown and off, living their own lives, and those are just like those points that the pets help us connect and work through different life changes too.

Speaker 3: 36:48

Absolutely. They are just the constant companion and I just, you know, and I look back on my life and I had a cat all growing up named Critter Bailey and and we had dogs Flare and Pasha, you know golden retrievers through the years and I just think, oh, they are a part of me still and I think if I see a dog out on a walk, I think, oh, my gosh, that reminds me of yeah yeah, my pet.

Speaker 2: 37:15

Sometimes animals come to us to remind us of people, and you were talking about the butterfly. You know seagulls are what come up. For me that it's like my dad saying hi, because the thing he loved, one of the things he loved most was going to the beach and sitting and watching. You know the boats, but the seagulls were a part of that too, and the first time we went to the beach after he passed away, there was one lone seagull. That would be every place we went by our room at a restaurant. We would always just see one sitting somewhere where we could see it, but just sitting there by itself.

Speaker 2: 37:48

And so it's been this. It's come up for me in photos and stories and you know there's. There's this connection we want to feel to people we've lost, to our pets we've lost, and so I think that's part of what the both of you are creating. The DNA and the picture frame or jewelry is kind of giving us that tie to them, so we feel like we still have a piece of them literally with us we still have a piece of them literally with us, really no, and I love that story.

Speaker 3: 38:22

I love that story because I do. You know, I think I've spent a lot of years studying this and being around death and being around transition and those kind of things and I think, oh, it's bigger than we know and I absolutely believe they're here. And what I love about the science behind that is that, you know, energy cannot be created nor destroyed, and I just think it goes somewhere, and so I truly believe we continue on and that they're close.

Speaker 3: 38:49

And I think that's where the connection to me and I tell Dave all the time I'm like we are so connected, we are so connected to each other, to nature, to water, to all right and I just think, and DNA is kind of the root of all of that, it's in.

Speaker 3: 39:07

so all of it is fascinating to me. Why I love this? Because I just thought, oh, let's bring all of it together hard and hard science, because I know there are all of this and people do science and I'm like here it is, and then when it goes well, and here it is, so it's connected.

Speaker 2: 39:27

Well, and I think it also gives us an opportunity to think about death and loss differently, because a lot of times it's a taboo thing, we don't want to talk about it. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to talk about it. It's like, well, mom, you're almost 80. We should probably talk about it.

Speaker 2: 39:39

And I actually had that experience when my dad passed. He was 94. And so when I would say my dad passed, they would ask me how old he was. I'd say 94. Oh OK, it was almost like they were saying, well, he was old, so it's okay. Like well, yeah, but it still hurts. You know, I only got him for 40 years because he was much older when I was born. So I think there's an element of what you both are doing with this business that is that piece. Of it doesn't matter when you lose someone or a pet, whether you had them one day or 100 years. It's never enough, right, when we have those bonds, and so you're giving a way for us to hold on to them in a really special, meaningful way that will, you know, make us feel like they're still with us. We say that they're still with us, but you're literally creating that with the DNA pieces.

Speaker 3: 40:29

Yeah, thank you for that. That's really kind and that's that's our hope.

Speaker 1: 40:33

Yeah, totally, totally. You know, we share like 90 percent dna similarity to dogs, actually to cats, and like 85 to dogs.

Speaker 2: 40:41

All living things right, um right and they always say we end up looking like our pets somehow.

Speaker 2: 40:49

But I will say, it's so funny because I grew up with dogs and I still love dogs and hope to have another one at some point. But when I got my first cat it was like wow, you are my people, like we understand each other right. So it's that there is this connection with all living things and nature, but we all hone in on that one type of animal or one type of you know, I love the beach, other people like the mountains, whatever it's because we feel that connection that we literally have genetically, but then the presence is different. So it is.

Speaker 3: 41:23

It's like that piece of us that's continuing as well as connecting to other people that I really see in that and it's why people, I think, respond so well to the idea of DNA and looking at your ancestry, because there's that meaning that you want to understand and have a piece of it too absolutely, and that's what we hope, and so we collect these samples and and and we care for them and we don't hold on to them and we don't keep them for any other reason, but just to give you fully back what is yours and, but the hope is to keep that part of them close with you forever, right?

Speaker 2: 42:00

well, I think that's an important point to make. I'm sure dave can speak to. It is, um, I know myself I've done like I said the ancestry.

Speaker 2: 42:07

My husband's never done it he questions how, like, I'll give him stuff and he'll be like they're just making that up and I'm like they can't make it all up. My husband can be a great pessimist, but I'm sure there are some questions about if someone's giving you your DNA especially for you, dave, concerned about well, now you have my DNA or you have this person or pet's DNA, you know. So I'm sure that there is a process of you explaining that we're not holding on to this, you're just processing it.

Speaker 1: 42:37

Yeah, definitely we are. We're just processing it. You're right, there's no data. The only data associated with any of this is me confirming every sample with a very generic set of primers to say, yes, we have a million DNA in this amount, otherwise, there's no login, there's no storage, there's no password. We amount, otherwise there's no login, there's no storage, there's no password. We also make it super easy, like we have. It's a three-way shipping. We have to send you the swab kit. You do the swabbing, break it off, send it back to us. I work my magic in the lab, not my magic, I do the science in the lab and then we For a lot of people.

Speaker 2: 43:10

It's magic.

Speaker 1: 43:11

Yeah right, I mean, you know I joke about that part, but it's totally a perfectly defined process, you know, and we do that. I was. So I think we're giving people an opportunity that if we weren't around to do this, I don't know, you know, maybe people could source it somehow and find it, but we're trying to make it accessible and easy for people to to get those reminders. That plus, you know stories with Steph, what she's doing to bring that up. I think that's amazing and I mean there's people have a lot of pictures on there and videos on their phones, but is it together in a compelling, meaningful story? You know, I think that's big. So it's things we're trying to offer people that are good for people in their lives to in that connection and that caring for each other, you know.

Speaker 2: 43:59

Yeah, I saw some time I think I always seem to get the ads probably around the holidays where there's a company and I'm not going to promote them, I don't even remember their name, but it's like if you have someone in your family, you want to know their stories and you don't have them. You set up the service and like every day or every week they get a question, they answer, and so then it's all compiled for you and I. My dad wrote down some of his stories for us, thank God, because we wouldn't have it. But so I also see the connection for you, stephanie, to go to the next kind of step of another option for people, which is getting those stories written down, getting them recorded in some way, because there are things I wish I could ask my dad that I can't, or he told me one time 20 years ago and I don't remember the specifics right, so I can really understand where you're wanting to do. That as kind of another part of it is really important Absolutely.

Speaker 3: 44:54

And luckily my mother was a master genealogist, so she left us histories of our great ancestors, and so what a gift that was to our family. But she did it in book form, you know, and it's 300 pages.

Speaker 1: 45:09

And my kid.

Speaker 3: 45:10

Yeah, I'll get around to that and she and I put those together long ago and so that was a really meaningful memory for me being with her and putting those together. But I thought, oh, how could I modernize what my mom did in a way where people can watch something in three to five minutes and get a good idea of who this person is, who this pet is? I've done my cat Yeti and I just think he's memorialized forever.

Speaker 2: 45:40

Pet is I've done my cat Yeti and I just think he's memorialized forever.

Speaker 3: 45:44

No one's going to forget Yeti.

Speaker 2: 45:47

But Yeti, I'm not kidding, and I agree with you. We should. You know. I don't know how many people I've told about my childhood dog, champ, so I get what you're saying. It's like having a place to do. It is important for us because it's not even processing grief as much as I get to share this piece of me that no one knows about, right.

Speaker 3: 46:08

Absolutely, absolutely. So I do. I do see the importance of sharing story, of writing your own personal history, even if it's short, even if it's just. This is who I am. This is where I was born, my parents. I do see the importance because, years down the road, I'm reading stories from 200 years ago and I think I am learning so much that applies today, by people who paved the way for me to be where I am today, and so historical records are important to us in a lot of ways, as a culture, as a society, as a family.

Speaker 2: 46:44

You know there's so much need for it, but we don't always take the time to write it down. I think it's one thing I realized with my dad in a lot of ways, because we're writing the obituary and we're having to remember dates, and he was 94. That's a lot of dates and a lot of them I wasn't around for, and so there are moments like that. I think sometimes we get a glimpse of what we wish we'd known or asked.

Speaker 2: 47:07

And so having somewhere we could go, where you've already thought of that and you're going to tell us what to ask or what to write down or what to record, is really important for people.

Speaker 3: 47:16

Oh, and I love that and I love your stories about your dad because you're right, I, you know, my kids laugh at me because they say all your friends are over 90. And I think I know, and I love it because I am getting a PhD in life, life you know, because they have lived it and they know it and and I think it's so hard to say goodbye to them. You know my dear friends 97, 95. And when they passed I was heartbroken, even though it was expected, even though you know Right. I mean.

Speaker 2: 47:49

Yeah, age and all of that doesn't make it any easier, no matter what the loss is. But having a piece of them, knowing I already have a piece of them, it's okay, you know I always will have them, but it's so true because you know there's things we hear we're like oh yeah, you've told me that story 10 times, but then I forget it when you're not here to remind me what the specifics are.

Speaker 1: 48:10

So yeah, definitely it's those family stories I've heard from you know, I heard from my dad and mom when they were living. Right, they told the same story. But I love to hear the same telling of it. Right, and Stephanie is very humble, she's a master storyteller. We can tell I say it's a Steph story when people cry, like literally after, in a good way. But that's how we know, right, it brings out the emotion and it brings it to life.

Speaker 2: 48:38

Well, that's what we respond to as people. You know, people like to listen to a podcast because it makes them feel something, whether it's sad or happy, or feel the same Same thing with TV and books. Right, it's the emotion we want to evoke and how we tell the story. It's something I've learned a lot in the last few years as a podcaster, because I used to work in higher ed. I used to teach statistics, I used to teach psychology. It was fact based, wasn't about me, it wasn't to get people to cry.

Speaker 2: 49:05

You know, I've had to learn how to do it more because it wasn't natural, because not how I did things Right. So sometimes people just need to be told well, you should have them do this. It's like, oh wow, I wouldn't have thought of that. So I think that's what's great about the DNA is Love Company in terms of the pieces you can create, but also what it sounds like you're looking to do, stephanie, with your new business is giving people a place to not only create the story, write it down or hold it, but then to have it to pass on to other people. Absolutely.

Speaker 3: 49:38

Absolutely, and your pets too. They're a part of this. They really are.

Speaker 2: 49:43

Oh, trust me, I haven't learned. People love telling stories about their pets. I know and I'm like let's talk.

Speaker 3: 49:49

That's what I'm most excited about. Tell me everything.

Speaker 2: 49:52

And you want to listen because you also then feel you remember your pets or it makes you feel the feeling you have about your own, and again, it's just that connection.

Speaker 2: 50:02

So, of course, in the show notes of this episode we'll have all the links for DNA is Love so you can check out the different products, and I do love that your jewelry has so many varieties, like there's some things that are more traditional, some are more modern, so I can definitely tell how you really tried to create a variety of options that you know speak to people depending on what their style is or what they like. So we will have all the links for DNA is Love and you can connect with them, with the company, dave and Stephanie, on social. Whatever you want to do, we'll have all the links for you to do that. But as we kind of wrap this up, dave and Stephanie, what is something you want our listeners to kind of take away from this episode, from what you want them to understand about your business and what you hope that they, you know, are able to do if they choose to purchase one of your products?

Speaker 3: 50:58

Good question. Yeah, I think for me it's just really enjoy the moment, like that's a big thing. You know, you've got this for a limited time, you've got your pets, you've got the people in your life for a limited time, hold on to them and cherish them, cherish the stories, and so I think what I love about what we're doing is creating that connection truly through the generations, so people can hold on to this for a length of time, and we've heard the best stories from people who have done this service. Just the peace of mind it brings them, knowing that, no matter what happens, they have a part of the person or pet they love deeply. So that's what we're most excited about.

Speaker 1: 51:41

Yeah, I'd echo that too. I would just say don't appreciate what you have, like don't expect it's going to last for a long time, and take advantage of it If it's something that's meaningful to you. We have a way for you to have that connection that can last you, you know, when they're passed, for I still have my parents' DNA samples from back when I started this and did my research and it feels good to have that. A lot of times, you know, just, you're down and out a little bit and you just say, okay, hey, we're in this together, we're going to be there and so appreciate what you have. And there is the science, there is the tech. We do make it pretty easy for people if they want to explore this further. So take advantage, if you will, and you know, and just keep being out there learning and enjoy the moment.

Speaker 2: 52:28

Absolutely. I think that's a great way to end Again. Dna is love. Please check it out, please share with your friends. I think at this point in the world, we all know someone who's lost someone or a pet recently and you never know who might see this and be like. That's the perfect way for me to grieve and memorialize that person or pet. So thank you, dave and Stephanie, for being here. It's been so great to meet you and hear your story and how you're trying to help us pet parents hold on to a piece of our pets forever. So thank you for coming and for being here. Thank you so much, julie.

Speaker 1: 53:03

Yeah, thanks, julie, it's been a pleasure talking with you.

Speaker 3: 53:06

Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 53:16

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Story of my Pet podcast.

Speaker 2: 53:22

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did interviewing Dave and Stephanie from DNA is Love and I hope you will check them out to see if one of their pieces of jewelry or art or photo frames might be the right way for you to memorialize your pet that is still living and grab their DNA now so you will have that piece of them with you forever, or use some of the ashes from a pet you have already lost to be put into one of the pieces.

Speaker 2: 53:54

I really enjoyed this conversation and getting to know them and the reason behind DNA is Love and why they are offering this service. That is uniquely perfect for pet parents who want to really enjoy our pets while they're still here but have a piece of them with us once they are gone. I hope you will check out even more new episodes of the Story of my Pet and, if you are not already listening and watching our full video episodes on YouTube, go to my YouTube channel right now link in the show notes to subscribe and follow all of the new episodes and listen and watch some of the previous episodes. Thank you again for being here. I will be back soon with a new episode of the Story of my Pet. Much love to you and your pets.