08/10/2026
My heart is very, very full after this weekend. 🥹❤️🐾
I've always wanted to give my dogs the best life I possibly can. Not just a life where they're loved and cared for, but one filled with adventures, friends, new experiences, and opportunities to just be dogs.
My soul dog Athena was really the reason behind so much of what I do today. For 13 years, she was my service dog, partner in crime, and adventure buddy... We experienced SOOO much of life together. We were also much less settled back then, so adventure happened naturally. She ultimately inspired and helped me build the life I have now caring for dogs, but as my life became more settled, she aged and eventually passed, and my other dogs' lives became much more centered around home. I've felt a little guilty the last couple years because something seemed to be lacking with my current crew. Not in love, care, friends, or snacks- they've certainly never lacked any of those 😂 but in getting out into the world with me and experiencing new things. My life is different now than it was back when Athena and I adventured, and I've realized that if I want to give my dogs that piece of what Athena had, I have to be much more intentional about creating it.
All of my current pups have been with me for different lengths of time and joined the family at different stages of their lives. Some I've known their whole life, some not as long. This weekend was such a wonderful reminder of how much I love learning new things about my own dogs and discovering what makes each of them happy, and that there's always something new. Watching them continue to grow into themselves has always been such a gift.
Here's just a glimpse of what I got to see in just a few short days:
💚 Lucky has gone from being a timid, unsure dog to this outgoing little social butterfly, and creative grooming has unexpectedly become one of the things that helped bring him out of his shell. He absolutely LOVES the attention he gets when we're out and about, and watching his confidence grow has been so much fun.
🩷 Oh, Bella, my sweet-as-pie diabetic girl. Food has always been one of my love languages with my dogs, so having a diabetic dog has forced me to find other ways to spoil her. This weekend I discovered that apparently the answer is: THE BEACH. 😂
That girl is a WATER BABY. 🌊🌊🌊
She walked into the ocean like she'd been doing it her entire life. Watching her splash through the water, explore the beach, and just genuinely enjoy herself made me ridiculously happy. I had no idea that was hiding inside my little Bella.
❤️ Kismet surprised me, too. She actually PLAYED in the water! 🥹 She was a little unsure at times, and there were a couple moments when the waves scared her. Each time, she'd stand up, put her paws on my arm, and look deep into my eyes with this worried-but-trusting little expression while we let the waves crash into us together. My heart absolutely melted. There was something so special about watching her be nervous, look to me for reassurance, and then decide she was brave enough to keep going.
💜 Luau, my most recent addition from Hawaii, seemed so incredibly happy to be back in her natural habitat. 🌺🌊 When she wasn't playing in the water, she was perfectly content digging in the cool sand or lounging in it like she'd never left the islands. Watching my little Hawaiian girl enjoy the beach again just felt right.
And 🖤 Mister... Mister was thoroughly unimpressed by the ocean. 😂 No shock there. He's definitely more of a hiking & mountains kind of gentleman. He was perfectly happy lounging in a chair in the shade, supervising our little beach camp and occasionally barking at any potentially intruding dogs or humans who dared venture too close. Someone had to handle security, after all. 😂
They're all so different, and I think that's what I loved most about this weekend. I got to watch each of them experience the same place in their own completely unique way and learn a little more about each of them in the process. 🥰 It also reminded me of something Athena taught me long ago: sometimes you have to take them outside of their everyday world to discover parts of them you didn't even know were there.
At the beginning of this year, I made a conscious decision to start prioritizing myself a little more: making room for fun, friendships, and a life outside of constantly working and caring for everyone else. I think part of that self-care needs to include my own little fur-family, too. So I'm adding something else to that promise! More adventures with my dogs. More enrichment for all of us. More new experiences. More opportunities to discover the things that make each of them light up. More memories with the little souls who are ultimately the reason I built this life in the first place. Because seeing them so happy truly fills my cup.
Was hauling a bunch of dogs to the beach physically exhausting? Absolutely. 😂
Would I do it all over again after seeing how happy they were?
In a heartbeat!
My body is tired, but my heart is so freaking full!! ❤️
Here's to more adventures with my babies. 🐾🌊
