My name is Will Corrente, I am the owner and founder of K9Vitatherapy, when I am not here working on great content, you can find me at VIP- Very Important Paws a luxury dog resort in West Palm Beach, FL where I am the owner and co-founder.

How I began my K9V journey. Way back in 2002, I rescued a small, scared Black Lab puppy from the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. Her name on her kennel tag was Angel, I remember the first day I saw her, she was cowering in the corner pressed against the wall. I she could merge with the cinderblock, I think she would have done so. I asked to have her removed from the kennel and I brought her outside, she was a little nervous on the leash but opened up when we got outside. I remember kneeling down on one knee next to her, she came under me and pressed herself against my thigh and rested her head on my leg. That was it for me, I rescued her immediately.

During the adoption process, I wondered why anyone would have surrendered such a sweet soul. Since I was a volunteer at the shelter, they shared with me the reasons for her surrender. It said, she is not house broken, she runs away and is destructive. Well anyone who has rescued a dog knows what happened next. I brought her home and observed none of those behaviors. In fact, the first night she slept on my chest as if she knew she was in a safe place and could relax. The following morning, as soon as we woke, she ran down to the front door and waited to go outside. Wow I thought, whoever surrendered this dog must have done so for reasons other than the ones they claimed. Regardless, I was now the proud owner of an awesome 6 month old pure bred Black Labrador Retriever puppy. After the adoption, the shelter gave me a document which showed her birthdate and that she was a pure bred lab. I have often joked over the years that she was the best $95 I ever spent!

During those early months, we had our ups and downs. Thankfully she never made a mess in the house, but on occassion she was a little destructive and loved to rumage through the garbage whenever I left her alone. But these bumps are to be expected from a rescue and a puppy to boot! All dogs need your time and attention and the time we spent together those first few months teaching her commands and building mutual trust paid dividends for years to come.

Angel who I renamed Coco gave me 15 great years of dog owner bliss. She was the most amazing dog I ever had, she was so well trained and loved to please that she spent most of her life off leash! She was loved by so many friends, family, clients and local business owners.

I was blessed to have 15 great years with Coco, but I wish I had more. It was after Coco’s passing that I began my K9VitaTherapy journey into nutrition and supplementation to increase the longevity of dogs. Having been a fitness enthusiast and vitamin / supplement consumer for most of my life I began to reason if it worked for me and so many others it must also work for dogs.

You see, dogs are unique in that we control what goes into the their bodies, the amount, the quality and the nutritional value. Had I had someone else in control of my eating, I know I would not have consumed so many pints of Ben and Jerry’s over my lifetime! lol

Over these past 3 years, I have amassed quiet a library of articles, tips and recommendations regarding optimizing your pets health through diet, supplementation and nutrition. I hope you come back often as we begin this journey of increasing the longevity of dogs all over the world.

PS – About 6 months after Coco passed, I heard that Big Dog Rescue Ranch had a litter of black lab puppies. However, when I arrived they were all gone. So I asked who is a cool older dog who needs a home. (As we all know, older dogs usually get passed over in favor of puppies.). They introduced me to Patty a 6 year old Shetland Sheepdog mix. I took Patty home and within 24 hours realized I had another Coco, sweet, loyal, well behaved and awesome on leash and off. I renamed her Grace, after God’s Grace, for he certainly showed me favor by bringing her to me.