Once upon a time, I swore I am never going to marry a guy with a dog. You heard right! I was mortally afraid of these barking creatures. Heck, I never even had a close relationship with any pet. We had birds (and to be honest I was afraid of my own bird and had panic attacks when the canary flew free). Our cats were outdoor cats and I loved them, but they were not essential to my “well-being”. I did not miss anything. My life was just different. Until I met my now husband.

My husband already had a dog when I met him in Zurich in Switzerland. He was vacationing in my country and his dog was at home in Los Angeles well taken care of by a friend.

When I met Freya, his furry girl, I was in love with my “new” boyfriend, and all my “I am so scared feelings” were suppressed. Freya taught me the wonders of being a dog owner. She taught me the love these amazing animals can give, their loyalty, and so much more. I was hooked.

And thus began my love story with dogs and their world. The day we had to say goodbye to Freya was a very sad day … and she is still deeply rooted in our memories.

Two months after Freya left us, we adopted Nike, a 7-week-old girl, and almost 5 years later my Ringo joined our pack at 12 weeks old. We were complete.  In November 2020 we had to let Nike go over the Rainbow Bridge after almost 17 years with us and Ringo joined her in February 2021 … I was devastated. It was as if someone broke off a piece of my heart. I know dog lovers understand.

In May 2021 we adopted Nyx at one year old. It has been two years with Nyx, and I can’t imagine my life without that girl anymore. She is the reason why I started volunteering at the Humane Society in Redding. She is the reason why I involved myself so intensely in all things dogs. I live and breathe dog now. I could not see my life any other way anymore.

I decided to share my journey as a volunteer for dogs in my blog every so often. Today I talked about my "why" to give you an idea of my motivation to do what I do.

Check back often … there will be more …

Christina - Don't Shop... Adopt