Dunn family dresses up for the holidays

“Every animal has a story, of course,” said Catherine Dunn, known far and wide for her love of animals. Sensing where this conversation might be going, she quickly adds, “Mike brings home more animals than I do!”

Dr. Mike Dunn is the veterinarian at Keys Animal Hospital.

“He shows up with his patients all the time. My kids have all administered intravenous fluids at some point,” Dunn said, laughing. 

That said, it’s nearly impossible to pin down how many animals are living at their Marathon home at any time. The family takes in lots of rescues, and there’s no deadline set for when they have to leave. She works particularly closely with an organization in West Palm Beach called Rescue Life to rehome pigs, which the family has a particular penchant for. 

So … how many animals?

“Well, the ones that we feed every day and bathe, 13. We have 13 animals,” she said. 

Robbed of the annual Santa and animal photo shoot at the Keys Animal Hospital every year, Dunn and her four kids staged their own Christmas photo shoot.

Sara Matthis
Sara Matthis thinks community journalism is important, but not serious; likes weird and wonderful children (she has two); and occasionally tortures herself with sprint-distance triathlons, but only if she has a good chance of beating her sister.