Our Founder
Lori A. Drew, CVT, founded the Center for Animal Rehabilitation & Education, Inc. (CARE), formerly The Pet Network Inc., in 1996. She has also received her national certification as a Veterinary Technician and Avian Specialist. Lori has extensive experience in bird behavior, behavior modification, bird medicine, and hand-feeding baby birds. Pre-COVID, she spoke on bird behavior and bird first aid regularly and did many school programs annually. She has been quoted in Bird Talk magazine on the topic of adding a new bird to your home “flock,” and hopes to do more writing in the near future. Lori officially retired in September 2024 and lives in West Allis, WI with her chihuahua mix, Rusty. She does still provide CARE guidance with difficult cases and even comes to visit periodically.
Our Management
Cassie Cherney is CARE’s current owner and President. Cassie got her first bird, who she named Reggie – after Packer great, Reggie White – when she was seven years old. After that, she had a Budgie, a Timneh African Grey, a Severe Macaw, a female Eclectus, two other Cockatiels, and an Umbrella Cockatoo. Her mom still has the Severe Macaw and the two Cockatiels, but the others have since passed from old age. In 2017, Cassie decided to combine her passion for animals with her career and became a professional pet groomer. She studied animal behavior as part of her training program and now specializes in difficult dogs. That same training helps her with bird handling and understanding parrot behavior. Cassie started with CARE in 2019 as a weekly feeder and joined CARE’s Board of Directors in 2022. In September 2024, Lori stepped down and fully transitioned ownership and role of President to Cassie. Since then, Cassie has been working with the Board and CARE’s volunteers to bring in fresh ideas, fundraising partnerships, and efficiencies that help CARE continue to save the parrot lives Lori set out to save almost 30 years ago. Cassie currently lives in Waukesha, WI with her cat, umbrella cockatoo, and leopard gecko.