Laurie Ivey-Caldwell of Council Bluffs, Iowa was so distracted by the cuteness of her two-pound Yorkshire terrier that she was having trouble finding a moniker to match the precious puppy. She even asked close friends for assistance but they too couldn’t shift their focus from the delightful dog long enough to come up with a suitable name. Fortunately, while discussing her frustration over not finding the perfect moniker with her mom, she unintentionally named her Yorkie.

“I was sitting with my mom and said, ‘He needs a name. I have to think of something. I just don’t know, he is so dinky,’ “explained Laurie. “He was small, and being a Yorkie always would be. Both my mom and I looked at each other and said that is it! Dinky it was. It just fit perfectly.”

Being “Dinky” doesn’t prevent Laurie’s dog from running around the house constantly, especially if he’s chasing tennis balls.

“Dinky’s favorite thing is chasing tennis balls,” explained Laurie. “We started storing them in the freezer because he can sniff them out anywhere…closets, boxes, drawers. And once he gets wind of a tennis ball, there is no stopping that boy. He will chase them for hours.”

After reading about VPI Pet Insurance in the waiting room of the emergency animal hospital following an accident when Dinky was just six months old, Laurie determined it was the best way to protect Dinky and all of her future pets.

“We now have VPI for all four of our dogs and I recommend it to everyone with a pet,” said Laurie. “You never know when something bad is going to happen and I always want to make sure I can take care of my ‘kids’. “Pet insurance gives me peace of mind and VPI has always had great customer service when I have had to submit a claim.”

Laurie Ivey-Caldwell
VPI Policyholder Since 2002

As Kyra Ressler of Long Beach, Calif., was preparing for life with her new kitten, she knew she wanted to name her new furry feline after the television show, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.

“I decided on the name Flapjack for my next pet because I really liked the show,” explained Kyra. “The name Flapjack is a great fit because, in a litter of all black kitties, he was the only grey and white cat.”

Despite the unusual name, not surprisingly, people occasionally mistake the moniker for the more conventional term for a thin flat cake made of batter and fried on both sides.

“When people hear the name they think it is cute but sometimes they accidentally call him Pancake,” said Kyra.

Kyra opted to get her pets insured to avoid paying high veterinary costs should anything serious happen to Flapjack, her other cat, Waffles, or her dog, Shooter.

“I purchased pet insurance because, if something happens out of my control I would rather be ready,” said Kyra. “I think it’s important to have pet insurance because you never know what can happen to your pet and it’s better to be financially prepared than to suffer the consequences.”

Kyra Ressler
VPI Policyholder Since 2012