06/20/2023
Steve Peplin, founder of Talan Products Inc, has been a friend and donor to One Health Organization since 2011. Dr. Anna has known Steve since her teenage years when they raced on boats on Lake Erie - she on her father’s boat, and he on someone else’s.
They lost touch over the years and then reconnected on social media. It was clear that Steve loved his dogs from his posts showing pictures of his dogs and sharing the pain of losing a beloved pet from time to time.
Recently, Dr. Anna caught up with Steve, his life partner Cathy, and his 3 Bernese Mountain Dogs at their home in Chagrin Falls (pictured above from left to right: Cathy Hattenbach, Steve Peplin, Ned Baker, Dr. Anna M. van Heeckeren, Dr. Wim van Heeckeren, and Danielle van Heeckeren). Steve was kind enough to ask Dr. Anna’s brother, a human physician, and his wife to join the occasion.
There was much talk about the importance of pets in our lives and in the lives of those we serve at One Health Organization. Of course, the Bernese Mountain dogs were a big part of the conversation, and they easily made friends with their guests.
After their visit, Steve shared an epiphany with Dr. Anna. He told them that in the middle of a sleepless night, one of his dogs, Maverick, came up to cuddle with him, comforting him during a stressful moment. It was then that Steve realized, “This is exactly what your organization does… you enable those less fortunate than me to have the exact same joy with their pets that I was experiencing.”
Steve, just like the people we serve, share a tremendous bond with their pets. This is what inspires him to support One Health Organization through his donor advised fund.
We are grateful to kind and generous people like Steve who understand the importance of the human-animal bond for anyone living with pets they love and need.
