About Us

We are a small team of professionals passionate about assisting families and their pets.
We are dedicated to providing you exception service and support all along the way.

  • Dawn Slessman, RVT | Owner

    In 1986, I graduated from Purdue University as a Registered Veterinary Technician.

    Over my 37 year career, I have performed countless euthanasias and it never got any easier. I have found the human-animal bond to be a vital part of our existence and one that I care deeply about, helping honor the final moments of an animal’s life. Nature’s Way Pet Aftercare was created to make sure that families receive the understanding and closure we all desperately need, for the end of a chapter in our lives.

  • Courtney Sutliff, Veterinary Social Worker

    As a fellow animal lover, I too have felt the pain of losing furry family members. My hope is through my personal experiences with pet ownership and loss, as well as my professional experience supporting people through challenging times, including pet loss and grief, will allow me to be a loving resource to you and your loved ones during this difficult time. My role with Nature’s Way is to be an emotional and social support person.


    This will look differently for each family and we will work together to see how I can best support you. Some families may benefit from counseling or wish to be connected with additional resources if needs arise. I will help identify needs and appropriate resources and connect you with those so that you can focus on caring for yourself and your family during this time. There is a wide spectrum of ways to utilize the Veterinary Social Worker so I will contact each family to offer support that fits your needs.


    For some, they may feel that what they need initially is time but come to realize they may need additional support at a later date. If that becomes true for you or someone who loves your pet, please contact us. Thank you for allowing me to care for your family in this special way.

  • Christine Musselman, Client Care Professional

    My Passion for animals is what brought me to Nature’s Way Pet Aftercare. I have been breeding award winning German shepherds and Pembroke Welsh corgis for 15 years. I also have been training and competing in many different dog sports all my life. Not only do I have dogs but I also own and love a beautiful Maincoon cat mix. Pets are my true passion. 

    I know first hand how hard it is to lose a furry family member. I am thankful that I can help ease the pain of others going through that same loss. 

    Thank you for choosing Nature's Way and allowing me to carefully create your pet's paw prints and other keepsakes for you. 

  • Dean (left) and Jason (right), Cremation Operators

    Dean and Jason are our cremation operators and assist with pet transportation. They both are dedicated to handling your pet with the utmost compassion and accuracy while they are in our care.

    Jason is responsible to make sure that all of our equipment is in top performing shape every day and cares for your pet throughout the cremation process.

    Dean oversees the custom engraving department and is a business partner to Dawn (owner). Together they run the day-to-day operations of the crematory.

  • Dr. Jennifer Stresemann, Veterinarian

    As a veterinarian, I have committed my life’s work to helping animals. I have worked in emergency and critical care, shelter medicine, veterinary forensics and primary care. The one constant I have experienced throughout all of these aspects of caring for pets was the deep desire to bring ultimate peace during their final passing. I grew up in Fort Wayne and was happy to return home upon graduating from Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006.

    I am excited to be starting my own company, Peaceful Passing, with the goal of providing pet families with a unique way to care for their pets in their final moments. I am honored that Peaceful Passing will be partnering with Nature’s Way Pet Aftercare. As both of our businesses share the same mission of helping families carry out their vision of how they want their pets cared for as they say goodbye.

  • Dr. Krystle King, Veterinarian

    My veterinary career officially began in 2012 when I graduated from Purdue’s School of Veterinary Medicine. However, as a third-generation veterinarian, I can honestly say that veterinary medicine has always been a part of my life in some way, shape, or form. Throughout my career, I’ve learned that while diagnostics and treatments continue to evolve, one thing remains constant: the strength and resilience of the human-animal bond.

    As animal lovers, we all strive to mirror the love and devotion our pets pour out for us every day. One beautiful example of this is offering our pets a peaceful, compassionate goodbye in a way that feels authentic to us and the relationship we shared with them.

    Understanding the emotional weight of this journey, my goal is to ensure each final farewell is handled with love, care, and respect. To provide families with more personalized end-of-life care options, I founded Serenity Mobile Veterinary Care in 2024. I feel incredibly fortunate to partner with Nature’s Way Pet Aftercare to help offer these essential services to our community.