As a kid I spent my days building makeshift agility courses for my family dogs…boxes duct taped in a row for tunnels, and 2×4’s precariously balanced across cement blocks as jumps. My dogs were my constant companions on every adventure and my trusted allies….partners in mischief. Several decades later and not much has changed.
I got involved in rescue about 5 years ago as a means of distraction. I’m a bit of an unsinkable optimist, but after years of infertility and battling medical issues, I began to see the best parts of me fading away. It was like my heart had a slow leak and I had to do something to stop from oozing away. I loathe self pity…and while I wasn’t ready to give up on my dream of becoming a mom, clearly I needed to put the world back into focus once again and take a long look at the big picture.
And so my husband, Seth (who was crazy enough to marry me 11 years ago) and I took our first foster dog. He harassed my cats and tried to lift his leg on every surface of my home, but it was nice to know that because of us, he wasn’t in a shelter. And then we got to watch him walk away with his new owners, and I felt a little bit of me click back into place. We went on fostering animals and little by little I regained my equilibrium…my slow leak was patched with fur and dog slobber. I found me again. Seth and I started the long process of IVF using donor eggs, and all the while we had a house full of furry wards to train, love, and rehome. Through loss, and miscarriage, and disappointment they were there…. filling our hearts with a different kind of joy.
Finally, there was Juliet. When I became pregnant with my daughter, many people thought that our days in rescue were numbered. But rescue had become a part of me…like an old friend who had seen me through some of my darkest days…now it would share in my brightest. Jules is 13 months old and my heart explodes every day with the love that I feel for her. She went on her first “freedom ride” to a shelter at 3 weeks old. I don’t care if she enteritis my affinity for animals, as long as she absorbs the value behind the cause. Care for those who cannot protect themselves and give freely of your time and heart… because we are all here to make the world a little bit better. Compassion first and forever.
When I am not texting a volunteer, running to a shelter, or training an unruly dog, I am with my family who I am very close to. My middle sister and mom both live locally and (funny enough) foster for me. I love to be outside. I like fishing and hiking. I love to read and write. I have 6 dogs, 2 cats, a horse, and a mean bird who are my fur family. I am direct, spontaneous, silly, and have a bit of a dark sense of humor. I am proud of what we have built with CVRR.
