Dave Heine with former UF integrative medicine resident, Dr. Kelly Fishman, and Mischka.
Dave Heine, a native of Cleveland, never attended the University of Florida and never imagined a path that would lead him to become an advocate and supporter of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine.
He and his wife, Tatia, moved to Orlando in 2001 where he built a career in title insurance and mortgage closings and she worked in surgical nursing.
A self-made entrepreneur, Heine currently owns two businesses. His first is based on a software patent he developed. More recently, he also has teamed up with a former employee to establish successful and growing partnership. When asked about his philosophy of life, he quotes his wife, who often says you get back three times what you give.
To Dave, rescue and responding to need is innate. An amateur radio operator, he answered an unexpected request for emergency volunteer communications help in New York City following the 9-11 attack when the city lost all of its radio communications. He returned after two weeks with a profound appreciation for the small things in life and for giving.
Heine’s giving journey with UF’s College Veterinary Medicine began in 2010 with his first of three Boston terriers, Mishka, who needed a third corrective knee surgery. Referred by his veterinarian in Orlando, he continued to rely on the college’s Small Animal Hospital in the years that followed.
Audrey Collinet, Dave Heine and Dr. Sheila Carrera-Justiz are shown Dec. 13 in the neurology ward of UF’s Small Animal Hospital. Heine established the Sasha Heine Neurology Support Fund in memory of his Boston terrier, Sasha Marie. He was inspired to make this gift because of the care Sasha received from Collinet, a small animal neurology resident. Resident-support funds at the college aid the scholarly activities and training of CVM residents.
Over her 13-year lifespan, Mishka developed other special needs, including two chronic and difficult to manage gastrointestinal conditions. Heine turned to Dr. Kirsten Cooke in the hospital’s internal medicine practice, who performed diagnosis and treatments. In 2014, Mishka returned again, this time needing an advanced knee reconstruction that Heine learned would be a first-of-kind procedure capitalizing on technology advancements.
Kelly Fishman, D.V.M., who was an integrative medical intern at that time, was always there to care for Mishka during her long recovery and many rehab visits that followed. As a client in need of a variety of specialties, Heine was grateful to all the practitioners, technicians and staff at UF’s Small Animal Hospital.
Through Mishka’s recovery, Heine began to better understand the needs of the college. With each visit, he noticed the names of large corporate donors inscribed above the hospital’s main entrance. He met with Melissa Headrick, an associate director of development at the college, to see how he might be able to help in a smaller way.
“I pointed to the names above the door and told Melissa I wanted to donate too, but I didn’t have millions of dollars like they do,” said Heine. “That’s when I learned about what I call, ‘small dollar giving.’
Headrick replied that “no matter how much the gift, it’s always welcome, because the dollars of many smaller donors add up to accomplish so much,” Heine recalled.
“So, I asked Melissa, ‘what could a $2,500 donation do?’ She answered that it could pay for an intern’s research project,” Heine said.
Heine and his wife’s first donation to the college was to establish a fund to do just that. Funding Fishman’s research was a way they could support education and training, and, at the same time, give back to the intern who had provided so much love and care for Mishka.
With Mishka’s passing, Heine continued his “small dollar giving” quest by creating resident support funds and making planned and cash gifts to a total of 17 funds.
After becoming involved with Boston Rescue of Florida in 2017, the Heines’ hearts were soon won by Sasha Marie, a Boston they fostered only one day before adopting. A year-and-a-half later, at only 4 years old, Sasha unexpectedly suffered a very rare spinal stroke. Heine knew it was serious and called UF for emergency help, driving to Gainesville from Orlando that night. After ensuring her comfort, the neurology specialist on duty performed tests and a thorough exam. Sadly, Sasha Marie could not be saved as the neurological damage she’d experienced was too severe and was not reversible.
Last December, on Christmas night, the couple once again became happy pet-parents of their third Boston, Allie Katherine, a 4-year-old in dire need of rescue and medical intervention for heartworms. They knew exactly where to take her.
With the quality-of-life care given to his three dogs, Heine gained first-hand knowledge about the many services and specialty practices provided by the UF Small Animal Hospital. In appreciation, he has established six resident support funds, providing opportunities for veterinarians completing their residency training. Supporting travel and attendance to important conferences, Heine says his gifts have an added knowledge-sharing, ripple effect. Upon returning, each resident must prepare a report to their advisor on what they learned, and then deliver a seminar on the topic to their cohort.
Besides his support of UF, Heine continues to give back to his community in Orlando. His first office was located in Orlando’s downtown Parramore district, historically a struggling African American community. He funds the police chief’s initiative, “Christmas Dinner from a Cop” by purchasing turkeys and foods for a complete family dinner feeding more than 700 families each year. Consistent with his giving philosophy, his donation is a way to support the police department and also feed the hungry.
The Heine’s small-giving plan has given them and the college much more than three-fold in return. They are now planning estate giving that one day will add up to something really big in their UF pet-family legacy.