Beast Friends
Celebrating the unbreakable bond between humans and their animals.
by Bill Donahue

Alexandria Crouthamel has always been an “animal person.” The Bethlehem native grew up with dogs, and her father kept elaborate aquariums filled with all kinds of exotic creatures, like starfish, crabs, and piranha. Crouthamel, an attorney who earned her J.D. from Widener University Delaware Law School, had a particularly influential animal encounter while studying for the bar exam.
 
“My parents had gotten a new French bulldog, a puppy, and I said, ‘I want one,’” she recalls. “My mom said, ‘If you pass the bar, I’ll buy you one of your own.’ So I did, and she did, and that was my first French bulldog.”
 
Since then, life has changed a lot for Crouthamel. She has her own law firm in Bethlehem, which continues to grow. She met the man who would become her husband, Matthew Hamilton, and moved to Perkasie. Their family has grown to include a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, with another child on the way, and a veritable menagerie of pets: six dogs, one cat, a few tortoises, a chameleon, an axolotl, a hamster, and a fish.
 
“I couldn’t live my life without them,” Crouthamel says. “I take great care of them. I’m very clean, but they rule the house. They live a very good life, and they help us do the same. They provide me with comfort, stress relief, and a lot more. … There’s no shortage of pets, kisses, or treats in our house. Our dogs are pack oriented, and I’m lucky that everyone in our brood gets along. Our cat is the friendliest cat you’ve ever seen; he’s like a dog. They’re all on top of us all the time.”
 
Pets offer a panoply physical health benefits to their human counterparts. As Crouthamel suggests, interacting with animals can contribute to stress reduction and help people strengthen their sense of purpose. Research shows they also have the potential to improve cardiovascular health, increase physical activity, and support the immune system, as early exposure to pets can help prevent children from developing asthma and allergies. 
 
In addition, pets can have a big impact on humans’ social lives. A February 2025 report in The Atlantic characterizes the 2000s as “The Anti-Social Century,” suggesting that Americans spend more time alone, sequestered at home, than any other time in history. The simple act of walking a dog around the neighborhood can help humans form bonds, if not friendships, with fellow animal lovers.
 
For some pet owners, their pets are their social lives, serving not only as friends and family members, but also as the companions they turn to first when life gets difficult. 
 
Crouthamel’s four-legged family members include Thor, Tiki, and Tootsie (three French bulldogs), Chunk (an English bulldog), Simba (a Pomeranian), Arya (a pit-boxer mix), and Verdict (a hairless cat). At one point, the family also had as many as 30 reptiles—her husband’s passion—including various lizards, frogs, and turtles, though that collection has since been pared down.
 
“My daughter was born and raised around six dogs,” she adds. “Her third word was doggie.”
 
Of course, sharing a home with animals comes with its share of drawbacks, such as the cost of veterinary care. Verdict, Crouthamel’s hairless cat, requires some specialized care, including baths and regular cleaning to prevent infections, plus careful monitoring to guard against the cat’s sensitivity to cold and sunlight. 
 
There’s also the inevitability of loss. That said, most pet owners who have had a pet pass away would likely say the joy their animals brought to their lives surpasses the pain of having to say goodbye.
 
Crouthamel and her family have been happy to make the necessary sacrifices needed to maintain a house full of animals. They might even consider adding to their menagerie, just not right now. 
 
“I’m working eight, 10, even 16 hours a day, and these animals are my outlet,” she says. “I know it’s hard, and I’m fortunate that my husband takes care of everyone during the day, but I recommend to anyone who has a high-demand job—or, really, anyone in general—to have animals.” 
 
Canine Connection
May 21 is among the many birthdays and other noteworthy dates circled on the Coyle family calendar. The Coyles make a point of celebrating the date every year, because it marks a day from five years ago when a cockapoo named Milo came into their lives.
 
“We even make a cake for him,” says Ally Coyle, 26, the eldest of the family’s three children.
 
The Coyles welcomed Milo into their Montgomery County home about a year after the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a time of great uncertainty, during which many Americans felt anxious, isolated, even a little lost. Ally, who had been studying communications in college, remembers feeling vulnerable, too. Milo helped change that.
 
“I just got really connected to him,” she recalls. “The first couple days he was sleeping in a crate, so I would sleep on the floor beside him. I didn’t want him to be alone. He made me happier just being there. … He also brought people out of their rooms, bringing everyone together. We all wanted to be around him.”
 
Ally inherited her love of animals from her mother, Donna Coyle, who grew up with dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and other pets. For Donna, paging through picture books about wildlife from around the world and watching classic movies with animals at their center—Old Yeller, National Velvet, Black Beauty—gave her a deep appreciation of the natural world and nonhumans of all kinds, both wild and domesticated. 
 
“I just feel like animals add so much to the world and to your life,” says Donna, who grew up in Northeast Philadelphia before moving to Bucks County as a teenager. “When you have pets, they become extensions of your family. They teach you about love and responsibility. And when you’re young, it’s inevitable that you learn about the circle of life because of them.”
 
Having Milo also encourages healthy habits in the Coyle home. While Donna rarely needs the motivation to exercise, knowing how much Milo enjoys going for walks keeps her on the move. 
 
“Milo is our second dog,” Donna adds. “Our first dog was [a puggle] named Ginger. Our kids loved her, but my son was allergic so we had to rehome her with friends. We always knew we wanted to get another dog. That’s why [my husband] specifically researched cockapoos, because they’re hypoallergenic.” 
 
Ally has fond memories of Ginger, as well as of Winston, the border collie she became close with as a child while visiting her maternal grandparents’ home in Southampton. Her bond with Milo, however, is special. The two are practically inseparable.
 
“He’s just a very silly, happy, funny, playful dog,” she adds. “When he gets excited, he runs away and brings you back a toy. He’s a little bit of a pampered boy; he sleeps in a beanbag chair in my room. He just loves to be with us. He’s a Velcro dog. … He has done a good job of filling up my camera roll. Out of 10,000 pics, I think 9,000 are of Milo.”
 
Nothing But the Best 
Dogs, cats, and other pets deserve the best care possible. The Philadelphia suburbs have an abundance of veterinary practices, service providers, and boutiques that can make sure our pets are well cared for at every stage of life. Following are some of the area’s most trusted establishments for everything from veterinary care and grooming, to boarding and daycare, to dog sitting and walking, to end-of-life hospice care. 
 
Ardmore Grooming Station
Ardmore
ardmoregroomingstation.com
 
Avalon Veterinary Hospice
Douglassville
avalonvetcare.com
 
Dog Town
Hatfield
dogtown309.com
 
Hickory Veterinary
Ambler and Plymouth Meeting
metro-vet.com
 
Main Line Dog Sitters
Havertown
mainlinedogsitters.com
 
Main Street Vet
Perkiomenville and Souderton
mainstreetvet.net
 
Pets Furst Urgent Care
Langhorne
petsfursturgentcare.com
 
Quakertown Veterinary Clinic
Quakertown
quakertownvetclinic.com
 
Stay & Play Pet Resort
Huntingdon Valley
stayandplaypets.com
 
Wagsworth Manor Pet Resort
Malvern
wagsworthmanor.com
 
Photo by Ali Waxman
 
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, April 2026