Nancy Sherrard of Plano, Texas is happy to reside in such a large state, especially since it has helped inspire her pet names. Nancy and her husband currently are the proud owners of three boxers: Texas Bruiser, Rose (named after the Yellow Rose of Texas), and, of course, Dallas Cowdog.

“When I brought Dallas home, my husband asked what his name was going to be,” explained Nancy. “I told him Dallas. My husband asked if he would be named Dallas Cowboy. I huffed and told him he would be named Dallas Cowdog. After all he is a dog.”

Despite rejecting the NFL-inspired moniker her husband suggested, Nancy can’t help but think of what football player Dallas Cowdog would be if he was a Dallas Cowboy.

“If Dallas had been a Cowboy, he would be a running back like Emmitt Smith, low to the ground and superfast,” explained Nancy. “Also like Emmitt, he is personality-plus, except he doesn’t like his picture taken.”

With three boxers, Nancy has taken many trips to the veterinarian, especially for Rose, the troublemaker of the bunch. Rose was even featured on VPI’s Hambone Nation Blog after ingesting fertilizer sticks and having a 4-inch stick impaled in her soft palate. Fortunately, VPI Pet Insurance has been there to help assist with her veterinary costs.

“I don’t know what we would have done without VPI Pet insurance,” explained Nancy. “With three boxers, there is always an emergency, a routine exam, or vaccinations. VPI has been great about helping cover the costs of their indiscretions.”

Nancy Sherrard
VPI Policyholder Since 2011

Joshua Lee of West Roxbury, Mass., wasn’t much of a cat person when he decided to adopt his feline. He would take his dog, Kona on walks and a stray cat liked to follow them. After several weeks of the cat walking with them Joshua finally caved.

“I finally softened and decided to take the stray cat in,” explained Joshua. ”My thinking was, ‘I never really wanted a cat, but I always wanted to have a doctor for a son.’ So there you go, Doctor Whiskers.”

Not surprisingly, Joshua gets strange reactions from people who hear the uncommon moniker. He’s even developed a creative response.

“The most common reaction from people is simply, ‘Doctor Whiskers?’” said Joshua. “I usually follow it up with some form of the following, ‘It’s actually a Ph.D. He’s not a medical doctor. He got it in Medieval Studies from Columbia.’ Sometimes I change it up and say he got a Sociology degree from UC Berkeley.”

After adopting Doctor Whiskers, Joshua immediately purchased pet insurance for him. Following a positive experience with VPI in the past, choosing a pet insurance company was an easy decision.

“I had VPI Pet Insurance for Kona and when she was diagnosed with lymphoma, I was relieved to know that when I was weighing medical options for her care, finances were the least of my concerns,” explained Joshua. “Not having to make that a factor into my decision was a huge comfort to me. When I decided to adopt Doctor Whiskers, getting VPI Pet Insurance for him was a no-brainer.”

Joshua Lee
VPI Policyholder Since 2011