My journey into rescue started when I was young. My brother and I wanted a dog, and my mom told us we were going to rescue. As a seven-year old, I didn’t really know what that meant. However, when my brother and I went with her to the animal shelter and met Patch, we immediately wanted to take him home. To be honest, we probably would have felt that way about any dog. But Patch was available and Patch was good with kids.

Patch was not a particularly handsome dog. The shelter said he was a border collie/whippet mix. He had a short black and white coat. He was mostly legs. Patch had face that was half black and half white, with a white belly and black back.

He was perfect. We immediately fell in love with him.

For the next ten years, he was my best friend. A perfect dog who loved to play fetch with a plastic ball. He passed right before I graduated high school. I was heartbroken, but I think he knew I was ready for the next part of my life in college. Patch instilled in me the importance of rescue and how a rescue dog could love.

When I began working after college, I wanted to get involved with a volunteer organization to give back and find a community with shared values. The only choice that made sense was animal rescue and welfare. I stumbled upon Lucky Dog Animal Rescue in 2018 and haven’t looked back. There are long hours and it can be difficult. However, it is the best organization I could have been involved with and I feel the impact of this work every time I put the collar on a newly adopted dog at an event and send them home with their forever family.

Since starting my role as an adoption coordinator four years ago, I’m proud to say I’ve personally helped over 100 dogs find new homes. These have ranged from juvenile pups to seniors, but if you looked through the photos, you’d notice a lot of black and white pups.

I do this work because I love it, but I also do it in honor of Patch and all the other rescue dogs who have touched my life.

I’d like to think he knows it’s for him, and that he’s proud of me.