Hi there! 
Many of you probably know my story but you also probably know its a story I love to tell. So enjoy hearing it again! 
Me and Colin rescued Barney from a shelter in July 2023. Growing up, I didn't have a dog so I knew immediately I wanted one. I could never bring myself to buying a puppy because I knew how many good dogs were in shelters needing a home. Little did we know, rescuing Barney was going to be one of the best, yet at the same time, most challengings things we did. Barney originally came from Alabama where he was most likely a street dog or extremely mistreated by owners. He has pellets still in him from being shot at. We slowly started seeing repercussions of his mistreatment. He was extremely reactive to other people and dogs. There were days where I didn't want to take him for a walk or was scared to. I questioned if we made the right choice and could handle him. 
I can now proudly say, he was the best choice we ever made. After countless hours of training, we can have nice walks and I love taking him. We still have our bads days, but I could not be more proud of this dog for how far he has come. 
I decided to run this 5k to help fundraise for other dogs like Barney. Dogs who just need someone to believe in them and put in the effort. Barney sadly will not join me this year because i still think it will be too much stress for him. My goal is to eventually have him in a good enough place.