Hello and welcome to The Pawd Life, a health and lifestyle site focused on active families with active dogs. Howdy! We hope to connect with you somewhere soon!
Timber and I are outdoor enthusiasts that dedicate our free time to fishing, biking, hiking and otherwise enjoying the world of outdoor adventure. During the workday, Timber is a product tester for Ruffwear and a dedicated Blood Donor for the local pet emergency hospital. I manage a large veterinary facility in Southern Oregon. Our hope is to develop a like-minded community of people that enjoy recreating with their dogs in the great outdoors. We share our tips and experiences and collaborate with veterinary professionals and outdoor experts to highlight health tips for your trusted trail dogs. We post videos on YouTube, images on Insta, and blogs on FB. Be sure to like, follow, and subscribe to it all! Cheers...
Craig and Timber
14/08/2021
Heat Stroke is No Joke!
Tragedy strikes fast when it comes to heatstroke. Southern Oregon is experiencing a heatwave and during times like these, we see too many pets in the ER that are suffering from heatstroke. Everyone knows not to leave a dog in a car, but few realize how dangerous it is to leave your pet outside when you are at work or how risky it is to exercise your pet during the summer! It only takes minutes to push your pet into the danger zone! Check out these helpful tips From Dr. Jamie Arvizo, Emergency Veterinarian at the Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center. She discusses what to watch for and what to do to keep your pet safe when the temperatures are high!
Heat Stroke is No Joke! Tragedy strikes fast when it comes to heatstroke. Southern Oregon is experiencing a heatwave and during times like these, we see too ...
30/05/2021
Come to Oregon friends! It's nice here. They have trees and rivers! We're offering relocation packages, sign-on bonuses, shift differentials...and we pay double time on all major holidays. Boom.
Want to know more? Email us at recruiting@sovsc.com.
Cheers!
We are looking for experienced veterinary assistants and licensed technicians. We pay very competitive wages and offer $2/hour weekend and $3/hour overnight differentials. That means you could add $5/hour to your base rate for picking up overnight weekend shifts!
We also offer structured training to help get you oriented to the exciting life-saving techniques of the emergency and critical care world of veterinary medicine.
Don't live in Oregon? No problem! We offer relocation support for qualified individuals.
Kick start your career in veterinary medicine today! Email us at recruiting@sovsc.com and let's explore your opportunities in our ER and Critical Care department!
07/04/2021
I'm super excited to have been interviewed by Andrea and David (wow!) on their Pawsitive Leadership podcast to discuss euthanasia in veterinary medicine. It’s a topic I have a lot of passion for and was thrilled at the opportunity to talk about it with these two industry experts! Pet euthanasia is an event that hits the center of a pet family like a bomb, but the pain and loss doesn't stop there. The blast zone extends outward and into the lives and wellbeing of the veterinary staff as well, often leading to compassion fatigue, high turnover, and even self-harm.
After 30+ years of firsthand experience working in vet med, I have had to find my place to exist within the topic of euthanasia. Do I stuff it in my box, cry it out, exercise it out, or perhaps some other not-so-healthy choice? It's different for everyone. And since we can't choose to not participate, we must acknowledge its impact and seek out our strategy to stay healthy if we want to last in vet med.
As a non-DVM, I find great satisfaction in being able to help guide a family through such an important moment. Every situation, patient, and family are different, but some basic steps can help set everyone up for the best, healthiest outcome. I hope you enjoy the discussion and that my comments might open up some new pathways for someone out there! Stay strong vet peeps! You are loved and you make a difference. You know it, your patients know it, and your team knows it!
Much respect,
Craig & Timber
What Vet Med Gets Right (and Wrong) About Compassionate Euthanasia with Craig Lassen In this episode, Andrea & David interview Craig Lassen, BBA the Hospital Director at Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center (NVA). Craig discusses the importance of compassionate euthanasia and how we can make....
04/04/2021
Happy Easter.
Choose love.
Chase a frisbee...and thanks for you in our life.
💪❤️🤙
27/03/2021
Timber’s all packed up for his trip down the Scenic Rogue River trail this weekend. Gots his Frisbee, snacks, jacket, and sleeping bag. Should be a solid good time out! Come find us!!!
10/01/2021
Got everything moved out of storage and over to the new house today! My last goal for the weekend is to finally clean this bike off and get it out for a ride today! You know who’s pumped about that? Timber! (and me!!!)
26/12/2020
Trail working with Timber and about 20 other dudes and dogs in the Ashland trail system today. Timber took up his typical spot monitoring the action and keeping all the humans in line! Not sure which of us be the most tired this evening?!
26/12/2020
You know it’s a busy shift when even a dinosaur tech like myself throws on scrubs to chip in! A huge shout out of thanks to my team for putting in the hard work tonight on Christmas just like they do every other day and night!
I have so much love and respect for all my Veterinary people out there. Thanks everyone, merry Christmas and let’s get 2020 behind us soon!
14/12/2020
Today was 100% PNW outdoor adventure format. Started out predawn to get the most out of the short light day. Raining when we started, raining when I got home...never stopped! We hiked about 5 miles back along the Rogue from Grave Creek. Did some bobber doggin’, some jigging, even drifted the nymph rig. Need to re-proof my waterproof gear. Timber had a puffy on under his rain jacket and was bone dry when we got back to truck 6 hours later!
12/12/2020
Night walk-in’ the with . Sat on stage for a few minutes imagining what it would be like.
07/12/2020
Wagner Butte Trail, Southern Oregon. 10.4 miles round trip. 2,300’ elev gain. 3.5 hours.
What a great hike. A bit of snow up top, but those views!!! Mt. Shasta and Mt. McLoughlin with a terribly amazing 360° view.
20/11/2020
It’s hard being this cute! Especially when your housemate decides he’s going to remodel your face! Don’t worry this little guys healing up just fine with lots of great pain medication and care from the team at SOVSC.
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Welcome! We support people who live with active, outdoor oriented dogs. We believe the impact of pets on our lives is profound and we celebrate the Human-Animal bond. We find health is improved when you have an animal companion. We talk about veterinary medicine, health, trails and gear. We invite experts to explore various topics and we invite you to join us.
We are Craig Lassen, the veterinary professional and Timber the dedicated trail dog. We spend our lives riding bikes, hiking and exploring in the mountains. Craig has worked in veterinary medicine since 1998 and Timber was born in 2014. Craig is currently the hospital manager of VCA Lakeside in Big Bear, CA. Timber is the local Frisbee catcher, trail ambassador and recreation manager. Together they host the Paw'd Life, a site dedicated to the health and lifestyles of active dog families. Our beliefs rest upon the power of the Human-Animal bond and its immeasurable impact upon our lives
Timbers “Origin Story”!
A typical day at VCA Northside Animal Hospital in San Bernardino was starting out in a not so typical fashion. Apparently someone was tired of their 4 month old puppy, so they tossed him over the fence surrounding the hospital and left him there over the weekend. When Craig arrived early Monday morning to the fuzzy face of Timber, he knew immediately that he had a new dog in his life!
Within one week and in typical Timber fashion (as we would come to learn), Timber was diagnosed with a foreign body stuck in his stomach (probably the reason he was abandoned) and went to surgery for removal. At nine months he went through bilateral elbow arthroscopy to repair conformation damage occurring in both elbows. Next was TPLO knee surgery on knee number one, which was followed a year later for the other knee.
Apparently what Timber has in good looks was a cover to hide the train wreck that is his orthopedic conformation. Said plainly, all his joints seem to have grown in a way that have caused him to have premature developmental issues causing lameness and pain. Boy did he pick the right new family. You see, Timber is helplessly addicted to trail running and bike riding. Thankfully his dad, Craig, was able to leverage the full force of his veterinary connections (and discounts) to have all these limbs rebuilt or repaired in a way that has restored full function to the furry trail blazer!
Now Craig and Timber spend their free time roaming the trails of Southern California in search of great adventures. Along the way they compile “pawdcasts”, gear reviews, trail reviews and interviews to help spread the word about a healthy lifestyle and its impact on both human and canine longevity. If you like to live a fun, adventured filled life with your canine companion, congratulations...you just found a great resource!
Craig has been a member of the veterinary community since 1988. He has worked as a kennel attendant, receptionist, veterinary assistant, hospital manager and regional manager. His primary areas of interest are veterinary surgery and trauma. Having spent many years in emergency practice and as a surgical assistant for a board certified mobile surgeon, Craig was able to develop a wide network of veterinary connections, which he leverages today to bring you a wide selection of veterinary discussions from well respected doctors and educators within the veterinary space. In addition, he and Timber bring detailed reviews and insights to the world of canine athletics. Their focus is on finding the right gear for extreme outdoor activity, endurance and comfort.
We invite you to take a ride through our page. We also have a website at www.thePawdLife.com and a YouTube channel that hosts all of our videos. Our pawdcats are available on iTunes. We hope you will reach out and let us know if you have any topic suggestions, corrections or questions. But mostly, we hope to connect with you on the trail so we can enjoy an adventure together!
