When I first started volunteering for Community Service hours as a college student, I never could have possibly imagined the impact that the rescue community would have on me. One of these things that I never expected was that rescue became my family. In my case, this happened quite literally, as I married my husband as a result of a blind date set up by Laura! I simply cannot imagine my life without the people that I have met through rescue. More than anything, rescue has given me a sense of belonging and a restored faith in humanity. I’m one of those naturally pessimistic people (I also struggle with depression.) It is in my nature to focus on the bad – which is easy to do if you watch the news at all. It’s easy to lose faith in humanity. Rescue has restored that faith for me. To see people selflessly give of their time and resources, with no hidden agenda, simply for the love of animals – now that’s a beautiful thing. I’ve seen first hand the love of animals bind us as a group together. People that ordinarily never would have met. People who now become friends and work together towards the common good of saving lives. My life just wouldn’t be the same without these relationships. I’m honored to have met so many wonderful people that truly care about doing the right thing. Mama here in this picture (Chihuahua) is another huge part of my life that I wouldn’t have if it weren’t for rescue. When mama came to Robbie, she was practically feral and pregnant. Robbie raised her puppies, who were all adopted, and continued to foster mama. It took almost a year before you could even touch her. She has gone from a completely terrified dog to this little love that follows me around all day and begs for attention. She’s still skittish but to see her grow each day has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It’s truly amazing to see such a miraculous transformation in a dog. We decided that we just couldn’t live without mama in our lives and she is officially ours forever! She is our family and we are hers. And family, well that’s what CVRR is all about ♥
– Joy
