Meet Gayle

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Gayle and Zeus

photo by Jess Nastasi

“Gazehound” is one of the ‘net nicknames of Gayle Nastasi, a long-time animal care professional. Gayle graduated from the State University of New York at Farmingdale’s Animal Sciences program way back in the stone ages (1978). Since then she has held many jobs in the professional animal care field and worked with all kinds of farm animals, as well as every kind of pet imaginable. Some of her positions have included:

• Herds”man” at the Muscoot Park Interpretive Farm, in Westchester County, NY, where she had primary care of all farm animals.
• Horse care and grooming at Tanrackin Farms thoroughbred race horse breeding farm.
• Kennel management at Guiding Eyes for the Blind training school, Yorktown Heights, NY.
• Care provider at Northwind Boarding Kennel, Bedford, NY.
• Veterinary Assistant at the Somers Animal Hospital, Somers, NY.
• A life time of animal companionship, including experience as a breeder of Siamese cats.
• Founding board member of STOLA (Saluki Tree of Life Alliance, Inc.)
• Board member and officer of Northeast Llama Rescue and Barnyard Sanctuary, Inc. and New York Wildlife Rescue Center.
• Wildlife rehabilitator and member of New York Wildlife Rehabilitation Council.

Healing and Spirituality:

In addition to her professional animal care training and life-long calling to serve our animal friends, Gayle has training in the worlds of alternative healing and psychic studies. She is a certified Reiki I practitioner and an certified Therapeutic Touch healer. She also has a wide base of experience with distance healing methods. Much of her spiritual viewpoint radiates from her studies of Native American Philosophy with the Good Medicine Society, for whom she has been a certified teacher. She is also a student of psychic development, studying with one of the most experienced Spiritualist Psychic/Mediums in upstate NY at the Spirit Path Center in Middleburgh. She has studied animal communication skills with Dawn Costerisan Allen, as well as with Dawn Hayman of Spring Farm CARES, and is listed in Penelope Smith’s world-wide Animal Communicators directory. She (and her cat Pree) have also been contributing writers to Penelope Smith’s publication “Species Link”. Gayle has been a professional animal communicator since 2000, with numerous years of study and learning prior.

Writing

Gayle has been a professional writer for many years, having been published in various print and electronic magazines including Spider Magazine for Children.  Several of her short stories have earned acclaim online, as well as a place in the quarter finals of the illustrious L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest.

You may view many writing samples on this site, as well as follow links to two free complete children’s fantasy novels from the Writing pages.  If you are seeking a professional writer for a project, feel free to visit the “Hire Me” page.

In 2010, several of Gayle’s book-length works, including a trilogy of fantasy stories starring a dragon and greyhounds, and a mid-grade mystery novel which stars a psychic Saluki and his Junior Handler owner, will be published by Lost Bard Books.

Hobbies

Amateur photography and gardening take up much of Gayle’s pleasure time.  It’s a privilege to share her photos, and her daylilies, with visitors to the website.

Why “Gazehound”? Gayle’s nearly three-decade-long association with Saluki hounds has not only made them an important part of who she is, but has given her the internet and personal nick-name of The Gazehound (or, more often these days, “Gayze”). Feel free to get to know Gayle, and the Saluki breed, better by browsing the various pages on this website.