Just a few weeks ago I lost the rescue dog who changed my life. It was 2010 and I had just graduated from college and moved back home to Alabama. I was living with my dad and unsure of what I wanted to do with myself and my career. I can't really explain why but for some reason I decided I needed to go to my local shelter to adopt a dog. Call it fate, call it destiny - I'm unsure of many things but one thing I am sure of is that the universe brought the two of us together. There are some things that are just meant to be and one of those things was Us. Pita was my heart and my heart was hers. She was an old soul that was somehow immediately polarizing - either people were offput by her wolfish look (If I had a dollar for every time someone said "That dog looks like a wolf!" I'd be a rich person, indeed) or her sweet demeanor and humanish eyes endeared you instantly.

I'm a kinder, more empathetic person because of her. She taught me patience. She was my shoulder to cry on for the last ten years and also shared all of my most joyous moments. She was with me through my dad's heart and back surgeries and when my mom passed away. She moved with me to Miami, Florida when I enrolled in Graduate School, and was with me when I met my husband. She was with us when we all decided to move to Charlotte, NC to follow jobs after school and when we bought our first house together as a family.

The impact a rescue can have on your life is profound, to say the least. I wouldn’t be who I am today if we hadn’t been brought together. She is the reason we choose to adopt, the reason why we foster, and the reason I’m raising money for the Humane Society of Charlotte. Please join me in celebrating Pita’s life with a gift to my Pet Palooza donation page.