I am Regina Marie Ruggiero and I am the owner of Feathers & Tails Pet Care. I always was an animal person. As a young
girl, my mother used to call me, St. Francis or Dr.Doolittle. During that time, I really considered becoming a veterinarian.

While pursuing this, I became a vet tech at a local veterinarian’s business. What I discovered was I much prefer the hands on rather then the diagnostic, routine check and move on business of being a vet. At the time, I started to search trays along the way; I think this would be a good fit. During the “finding the right me job” adventure; I found Mr. Right. We married, had a son, Cameron, bought a house and had a daughter named Natalia. Currently, three dogs, one cat, a turtle and bearded dragon accompany us on our journey. Life is good. Between Cameron and buying the house, I found the perfect job for my yearning heart. I am not being facetious; I was searching for something with an animal hands on job of a lifetime.

I started to work at Feathers and Tails under a great owner and boss. After a short time, I became her #1 and we worked very well together. Sweet ride!

I thought all was well with the world from 2011 to 2014. Suddenly in 2014, my little piece of real estate was having tremors…I was shaken to the core. A pause in the paws story, I was beside myself. My boss was going to get married and pursue new dreams and was going to sell her company. I contemplated, I practiced a few times about how to speak with my husband (with or without his favorite dinner [lol]) and we decided to approach Megan about buying it. A dream could come true. Negotiations, purchase and continuing friendship later, I hung my sign as the owner of Feathers and Tails Pet Care which then became Paw-sitive Vibes Pet Care to add my personality and flare.
I hope to add Dog training to my list of services in the future as I grow into a stronger trainer.

Drew is the puts the “Drew” in Drool School. Drew is Regina’s brother, so to say we are keeping it in the family is more than just a cliché.

Drew is a lifelong resident of Wilmington. He is a proud dad who juggles life around his two boys who keep him on his toes. He can be seen on the sidelines of football and basketball, wrestling or more typically, driving from one to the other! He has experienced the craze in laser, worked the wiffle out of backyard baseball, and has learned a few Pele-like moves of his own. Most of all, Drew encourages reading and makes frequent and fun trips to the library with his boys.

Growing up, there were many pets. Melissa was a big pet bullfrog he found in the yard. She resided for a couple of days in an old Hood’s metal milk bottle container until Drew decided she may be lonesome. A humanitarian was in the making. Drew’s first furry pet was Lucky Katie. She was a refugee cat he snuck into the house and fed her right from the cold cut platter purchased for his Holy Communion celebration that afternoon. This explains why Katie was so lucky. After Katie and her many offspring (long story), there was another ‘bit o’luck’ called Shamrock. Shamrock was a spoiled little runt puppy with a big capacity for love and loyalty. If you ask any of the children whose pet was Shamrock; each one would tell you she was theirs.

Currently, Drew takes care of Lola, the family pet. Lola is a rescue who has won over the house, the children and mostly Drew.

Drew is a dog whisperer and really loves working with his clients to make the right balance for each pet. He is a natural with animals, but maybe that runs in the family. Drew has been along “fur” the “ride” and is a senior Pet Care Provider and is a huge part of Paw-sitive Pet Care.

My love for dogs began as early as my memories go, starting with my neighbor’s affectionate St. Bernard. This gentle giant sparked a fascination that led me to borrow every dog book in the school library. Initially, it was a bargaining tool to convince my parents to get me a dog of my own, but soon it turned into a genuine passion for learning about different breeds.

My dream came true with the arrival of my very own Golden Retriever. Later, I welcomed another Golden, my “soul dog,” and now I am fostering an Australian Shepherd mixed with Jack Russell named Jack.

Working at Paw-stivibes Pet Care is a dream come true. Not only do I get to interact with up to 13 dogs a day, but I also have the gratifying experience of providing peace of mind to their owners. Whether helping a skittish dog overcome its fears, seeing improvements in reactive dogs on leash, or simply witnessing the joy of my regular dogs as I arrive, the rewards are endless. My role extends beyond mere pet care; it’s about fostering trust, happiness, and well-being in the lives of both pets and their owners.

Knock, knock!
“Who’s there?”
“Sistah.”
“Sistah, who?”
“Sistah who walks dogs and loves kittens, too!”
Seriously, we are thrilled to announce that there’s a new, not so new, member of our staff. Victoria, as my mother insists, but also known as Vic, Vicki, or Auntie Bicky, has officially joined the Pawsitive Vibes troupe. Vic has been an unofficial asset for us for a while, but now, she is an employee of record.

Vic (sorry, Ma!) is the mother of four gentlemen, ranging from tween to adult: Justin, Terry, Vinny, and Matthew. She has managed to stay sane despite not being offended by crop dusting, burping, and various other noises typical of the male human species. She answers to being called auntie, sis, mum, Vic, and quite rarely “Feathers”—but that’s a story for another time. (Wink, wink!)

Vic is excellent for and with your furry buddies. As you can imagine, her chocolate lab, Cocoa, is yet another male in her clan. She handles testosterone overload pretty well.

If you happen upon her, please take a minute to welcome Vic to our furry fellowship of friends. She, too, gives off “Pawsitive Vibes”!

As far back as I can remember I have always had a cat and dog. In my opinion, a family is not complete without a dog or pet of some kind.

As a kid, my sister and I would pretend we were dog trainers. And our dog loved it. We dressed her up too. I swear she liked that too.

My own children have always had a pet: a cat, a dog, or both just as I did as a child. We love going as a family to “Puppies on the Run” to play with puppies. Who wouldn’t love that! We are animal lovers for sure. One of my kids says her dream is to have her own farm someday, to have a hundred dogs, horses, cats, chickens, and goats. I tell her I hope she does and to make sure she has room for me because I’ll be there.

I am a single mom of three amazing kids and, as they say, I have hundreds of jobs. I am a school bus driver, a photographer, a member of the Speakers Bureau to end domestic violence. I’m a CCD teacher, and I also volunteer at the elementary school where my youngest children attend. Busy mama, you could say. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Life can be busy and crazy at times, but there are so many parts of my busy, crazy life that I truly enjoy. I love my family. I love being outdoors. Not always a fan of the cold, but I love watching my kids play sports. I am their biggest fan and I love photographing them and their teams. And I love animals.

Walking dogs has been a great addition to my days. I love the excitement in their faces when I ask, “You want to go for a walk?” I talk to them when we walk. They might not talk back, but they all have so much personality and I feel like they understand me.
I’m happy to work for Regina and her crew; they all truly love what they do. And as another hardworking mom, she gets me.