Our Family Story

We hope the story of Ghost and Ziggy will inspire you to become someone who saves a life, and someone who gets behind a movement that protects and fights for voiceless animals. You always have the power to change your beliefs and make a meaningful impact, and our story is an example of that. When we wanted to get our first dog, we chose a pet store. That’s where we found Ghost in 2017, before we understood why adopting was so important. Like a lot of people, and maybe even like you, we didn’t see any difference between getting a dog from a shelter and getting one from a pet store.

Honestly, we thought “Adopt Don’t Shop” was just something people said because they had something against pet stores. We thought shelter dogs were there because they were bad in some way, behaviorally or physically. We thought it was somehow “better” to get a dog from a pet store. We hadn’t been educated on dog rescue at all. The reality is, dogs usually end up in shelters by no fault of their own. Some escape from homes or yards without identification and are brought in by their finders. Some are abandoned by families, left in empty homes or dumped on the street, and are then transferred in. Some find themselves in the shelter because their owners passed away. Many others are taken in by people who don’t understand the responsibility of having a dog, and when those people prioritize other things and feel the dog is just a burden, they surrender them.

Our thoughts on the issue completely transformed. As we continued visiting the shelter, a passion grew and so did a desire to help. We also vowed never to buy a dog again and to adopt when we found a good companion for Ghost. That’s how Ziggy became part of our family. Finding Ziggy took time and patience, and that’s okay! We did meet-&-greets with a couple dogs who weren’t the right fit, but we kept coming back to the shelter every few days to look around again. I actually met Ziggy while I was volunteering with shelter dog play groups and on March 23, she became a Godwin! Now, we have two four-legged kids we love them just the same, and even more every day. We don’t know about the chapters of Ziggy’s life before we rescued her and we can’t change them, BUT we can positively ensure that this chapter of her life will be the best one. This chapter is full of love, comfort and companionship. 

One of our favorite nonprofits and animal welfare societies, Best Friends Animal Society, reminds us all of the several great reasons to adopt a dog: you will save a life. You will save money, because adoption costs significantly less than buying an animal. If you adopt an adult dog, you’ll often avoid the hassles of house-training and teething, and if it’s a puppy you’re looking for, shelters have those too! Perfect pups of all breeds, shapes and ages are available at shelters & rescue groups across the country so you can find exactly what you’re looking for with a little patience (“Adopt a Pet and Save a Life”).