I grew up in a world surrounded by animals. We of course had our own resident dogs; Marley, Taz, Belle, & Lily that made affluent impacts on my childhood. My grandmother was an equine enthusiast, and I was fortunate enough to have had the privilege of riding horses alongside her for many years. Beyond that, my father was an avid outdoorsman. We spent many weekends in waiters, thigh high in mud and muck trying to reach bird nests that my dad had built himself to restore native populations. Along the way we would encounter whitetail deer, mallard ducks, garden snakes, etc. It was always a game to see who may guess exactly what species we had stumbled upon next. Growing up with such unique experiences, certainly set the tone for a life long passion for animals. 

I had the honor of attending Virginia Tech and graduating with a degree in their esteemed Animal & Poultry Sciences program. While at Tech, I continued to expand my reach and knowledge of different species, helping to manage the Equine Research & Breeding barns and dabbling in everything from cattle, swine, & sheep management throughout my different course studies. Though hanging around with cows (aka grass puppies) was an incredible experience, I knew that my roots were in companion animals and horses.

I began to long for the companionship of my dog at the time, Belle, while at school. However, my parents made it abundantly clear that no extra stragglers were welcome home on school breaks. To bend the rules, as any teenager/young adult tries to do, I enrolled to be a service dog host. Which somehow didn’t get my cut out of the will entirely. I had the honor of raising two wonderful autism service dogs, Rusty & Ryan, who not only filled the hole I had at school for a dog, but also were my first introduction into animal behavior and training.

After my second service animal, Ryan, had graduated. I knew I wanted to start my search for a forever companion. I wasn’t sure I was emotionally ready to adopt yet, so I applied to be a puppy foster through the Roanoke Valley SPCA. I had applied for a puppy, and by the time I heard back, she had secured her own foster home. They countered with two other puppies, one with a foster prospect named Catherine, and another pup with no name and no interested parties. I, of course, went with no name. So my roommate and I drove 40 mins to pick up this little mutt from the shelter, and though originally they were deniers, my parents were ultimately the push I needed to keep her forever.

And why is this titled an ode to Koda? Because she was my first ever rescue of course. The one that changed my whole life’s course. I went from having my whole life outlined, to being totally side railed and thrust into this crazy life we call animal rescue. She celebrates our accomplishments, comforts in our sadness, and puts up with all the long hours and energetic fosters we constantly cycle through. Had she not come into my life, my path may have looked drastically different. We are grateful to have found our family at Lucky Dog, and even more thankful that we are able to help save lives just like hers every single day. To foster and save lives just like Koda’s please sign up HERE.