Emily Jagdmann -- Marketing and Communications Manager and Foster
Post Date:
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
As far back as I remember growing up, I always wanted a dog. From the time I was a little girl, I remember begging my parents for a pet. I even did a bait-and-switch (although I didn’t know that’s I was doing at the time), where I asked my mom if I could keep and name some worms that had crawled out after a summer rain as our family pets. Unsurprisingly, she relented, and shortly thereafter we added a beagle named Patches to our family. Growing up with Patches was the best. He was my best friend, my study buddy, and we had so many adventures growing up together.
I always had cats (and a dog!) growing up. I made extra cash as the neighborhood cat sitter. I "rescued" the litter of kittens that were born in my neighbor's shed when I was 10. My high school job was cleaning kennels and walking dogs at a nearby veterinary clinic. All this to say, animal rescue has always been in the back of my mind. I grew up, adopted 2 kittens of my own from a local rescue in Michigan and eventually moved with my family to Washington, DC. 5 years ago I lost one of those two kittens to cancer.
My journey into rescue started when I was ten years old. It was the beginning of lockdown, summer of 2020. I was ten years old. My friend and I had started a dog sitting and dog walking business and I realized how much I loved working with animals. I started to think that I might want to become a veterinarian. Then I decided to start researching animal rescues to see if I could find a way to volunteer. It was very hard to find one that I could work with because of my age, and I remember being overjoyed when I found Lucky Dog's youth program.
Robin Rodensky -- Adoption Screener and Matchmaker
Post Date:
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Like most things in my life, it has been a long and winding road to Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. Growing up, my parents were not dog people – my mother’s view was that if she wanted a dog, she would have had a third child. My husband, on the other hand, always had a dog but needed a way to convince me. As the story goes, one cold wintry day a very cold hungry stray puppy hopped into his car at the end of his work day, which began my journey to Lucky Dog!
Elyse Werling -- Volunteer Foster and Cat Adoption Coordinator
Post Date:
Monday, August 2, 2021
Growing up on a small farm in Indiana meant I was surrounded by animals my entire childhood. I grew up in a “cat family” and had several kitties in my home along with many goats, chickens, dogs, and other kitties on the farm.
Melissa Aten -- Volunteer Puppy Adoption Coordinator and Screener
Post Date:
Monday, July 5, 2021
I’m pretty sure my journey into rescue started before I was born. As long as I can remember, I wanted to save all the dogs I saw, because I always felt so good and peaceful when a pup was around. I drove my parents crazy with the constant begging and pleading for a dog. In 8th grade, all the students had to pick a charity to volunteer with, and, I chose an animal rescue, of course. That’s when the campaign for what would be a second pup became much more serious and targeted, complete with letter writing campaigns.
Kallie Brennan -- Lucky Dog's Program Manager for Adoptions and Events
Post Date:
Monday, May 31, 2021
I have been an animal lover since a very young age! There has always been a dog in my home since I was a baby. As soon as I was old enough, I started looking for ways to help animals in need. I was too young to handle dogs or work in the shelters, but I volunteered at local adoption events back home in Baltimore and loved spending time with the animals. When I went to college, I found another organization that invited local university students to come let the dogs out of their kennels and take them for walks.
Rachel Dailey -- Volunteer Adoption Coordinator and Foster
Post Date:
Monday, May 3, 2021
As a child, I never had dogs because my mom was allergic to them. I always knew as soon as I graduated from college and moved into my own place I was going to adopt. Shortly after moving out I started looking at the local animal shelter for an animal to adopt, but I hadn’t clicked with one just yet. I was following an animal rescue foundation in Aruba on Instagram for the past few years, so I started to look more into their mission and adoptable dogs.
Shortly after we were married, my husband and I rescued a dog via Pen Pals, a program that connects local area rescue dogs with inmates at Virginia correctional centers to train and socialize dogs in need of adoption, while also providing rehabilitation and life skill development opportunities for inmates. It is a wonderful program that we were happy to support and were thrilled to start our family together with Shoney, a well-behaved and sweet pup. Four kids quickly followed to complete our competitive and fun-loving family - Shoney was a lucky dog surrounded by lots of love.
Abby Berger -- Lucky Dog Youth Program and Social Media Team Lead Volunteer and Adopter
Post Date:
Sunday, February 28, 2021
As we approach the one-year mark of the global pandemic upending our lives, it’s inevitable to reflect on this turbulent period and grasp for any silver linings. While many changes from our pre-Covid routines that were initially a welcome change — like working from home and having more time to cook — have lost their shiny appeal, there is one undisputable fact: our pets and the quality time we’ve been able to spend with them has been a gift. For me, that’s my Lucky Dog, Pugsley.
