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People Who Inspire Us

This month Lindsey interviewed Z Kripke, a brilliant, energetic and fiesty retired doctor and the founder of the Papillon Club of San Diego. Z explains her journey from Goldens to Papillons and how a snake bite led her to research and learn about canine nutrition -- which in turn brought her to go up against Big Commercial Dog Food.

This month marks the beginning of our Treats for Stories program. Send us your article for either People who Inspire Us or Animals we Love and, if we use it, we'll send you a free bag of your choice of treats (Biscotti, Crisps, Barks, Small Animal Crackers, or Tweets). If you know someone you think is a positive and motivating person, tell us about him or her and get a free bag of treats!

Z Kripke

Z Kripke is as unique as her name, and yes, Z is her full first name. I don’t believe I have ever met another person quite like her.

Z’s interest in living things goes back to childhood. From the time she was six, a dog was always in her life. She made the decision that her career path would be medicine (human, not veterinary), and in 1965 she graduated from Columbia University in New York. From there she went on to do her internship and residency in Pediatrics (child and infant medical care), Epidemiology (the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations) and Public Health. She holds a Masters in Public Health, also from Columbia University.

In 1971, along with her husband and two young children, she moved to San Diego, California. There she aided the city in getting a grant to fund the new Emergency Medical Services program, which included the now well-known 911 number. After this huge undertaking was completed, she took a teaching position at the new medical school at University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Before long she found herself once again involved with a new project, this time setting up the university’s Women’s Clinic. For two decades she supervised the Center.

In 1993, Z decided to take an early retirement to help tend to her and her husband’s aging parents. Being the type of person who always needs something to do, she began making jewelry and tableware out of polymer clay and glass.

When Z’s last Golden Retriever, Apollo, passed away in the mid ‘90’s, her husband tried his best to keep the house dog-free. He made it clear that he was pleased to have an easier life - without the constant demand for attention or worry of leaving anything on a low table, for fear of it getting swept off by a huge wagging tail. He soon came to realize his wishes were hopeless, and Z started the search for their next Golden. Not yet finding just the right Golden, Z turned the tables on her husband and asked him what his ideal dog would be like.

Cheerful, non-needy, portable, polite, and quiet was his response. The search for a puppy changed into a research project. The two breeds that seemed to fit the bill were Pug and Papillon. Z decided that if she were parading a pug along the street, “everyone would be laughing behind me how the fat pug and fat me were exactly alike!” Consequently, a Papillon became the frontrunner.

Never having even seen a Papillon in the flesh, the search was on. Z finally found a Papillon breeder who did not have any puppies available at the time but invited her to come meet her show dogs. After receiving several hours of lessons in the Papillon conformation standard and the suggestion to join the Papillon Club of America (PCA), Z was much better informed about this breed and about dogs in general.

One of the dogs whom the breeder was getting ready to show was Berry. As the breeder stood there with Z, she talked herself out of showing Berry due to some physical imperfections the dog had developed. Despite a long waiting list for her dogs, the breeder offered Berry to Z.

When they arrived home, Z’s husband soon realized he had found his dog. Berry was everything that he was looking for in a dog. Berry soon made her way from a crate on the floor at night to a quilt on the bed. One dog prompted the desire for another. Two years later, when the same breeder had another dog available, the Kripkes became a 2 dog household.

After Z joined the Papillon national club, she started going to dog shows and got involved in Papillon rescue with fellow PCA members. She developed a social circle of Papillon fanciers, and the Papillon Picnic Club of Southern California was born under Z’s watchful eye. This was not just a breed club but a social club where owners and dogs meet for walks, have play days, and just have fun with their dogs in the company of other Pap lovers.

They held their first play day in May of 2002 with 17 people and 14 Paps. From there, the unofficial club continued to grow, and two months later another play day was scheduled at Z’s house with 23 Paps attending. Over time, the club grew to more than 150 members and is still growing. All major play day events, called picnics, help to raise money for Papillons and Playmates Rescue (one of Tigertail Foods’ rescue groups in the Rescue Rebate Program).

In 2003, the next chapter in Z’s life started. While walking through a mall parking lot with her dogs, a rattlesnake, displaced by a construction site, struck and bit little Zena as they walked by. A Good Samaritan piled them all into her car and rushed them to the nearest emergency veterinary hospital, where Zena received around-the-clock care.

After many close calls and thousands of dollars later, Zena pulled through. She was able to go home but had sustained major renal damage from the venom and anti-venom, and she continued to develop kidney stones. She was put on a special prescription diet by the vet, but it was apparent that the formulation was incorrect since Zena did not remain stable on the diet.

Z and her veterinarian contacted the company that made the food. Eventually the company admitted that the diet had been incorrectly formulated. At this point, Z seriously started researching what Zena really needed in her diet. Before long, Z had reviewed medical, veterinary, and nutrition research and joined e-mail groups for homemade diets for dogs with kidney issues. She bought books, reviewed articles, and started making her own kidney diet for Zena.

After several re-formulations, Zena stabilized on her new diet and has been stone-free for quite some time now. She is doing well and is truly a miracle dog, thanks to her mom’s continued support. Berry, Z’s other dog, also enjoys a home-prepared fresh food diet and is thriving on it.

After Z’s interest in the pet food industry peaked, she started researching other aspects of it. She learned about how fresh real food does wonders for dogs and shares her findings with the Papillon Club on a regular basis. She urges others to try fresh foods for their pets or at least pay close attention to pre-formulated diets. The pet food recall of 2007 only made her believe even more that she is doing the right thing for her dogs.

Z has come a long way from a uninformed pet owner to the person over 150 people go to for advice for their pets and themselves. We appreciate Z’s determination, zest for life, and desire to learn. She is truly an amazing person.

 

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