For the love of dogs.

Growing up I wanted to be a veterinarian - or Queen of England.  I failed.  Instead, I am a physician having completed 14 years of training after high school.  I take care of high-risk pregnant women (and their babies) as a perinatologist (also called maternal-fetal medicine specialist).  I see the sick moms and babies every day, and I hope to provide them professional guidance, as well as comfort, during what is often the most difficult time of their life.  I love my work - it's fulfilling and enjoyable.  On a personal note, I'm getting married in 13 days to a fabulous man (who is neither a veterinarian nor King of England.) "B" is actually the one who suggested I start this blog about my biggest passion in life: Dogs.


I've always been passionate about dogs - sleeping with our Shih Tzu "Cho-Cho" from 8 years-old until leaving for college (and again when I moved home during med school).  Before we knew about the importance of spaying and neutering, we actually bred Cho-Cho.  She had a litter of 3 pups and they lived in my room until they were adopted out.  Cho-Cho actually neglected the runt, who passed away at a couple weeks of age.  The other two went to family friends - neither of whom had another litter of puppies so I can sleep at night knowing that Cho-Cho didn't start that never-ending pyramid of dogs that can result from one unaltered dog.  In 6 years, an unaltered female dog can, theoretically, produce 67,000 offspring.  Tragic.  Cho-Cho lived for 16 glorious years and passed in 2000, when I was a second year medical student.  She is waiting at the Rainbow Bridge.


My freshman year of college (1995), my father brought home a dalmatian puppy a couple days after Xmas.  I now am sure that she was from a back-yard breeder.  My mother was not aware of the puppy's impending arrival but, of course, could not say "no" when all three kids are pining over the puppy.  I now know that this is no way to bring a new pet into the family.  By this point in our lives, we knew the importance of neutering/spaying, and Baby was spayed as a puppy.  Baby became an integral part of our family and, after my parent's divorce a few years later, stayed with my mother.  Baby went into a clinical depression when Cho-Cho died and I surfed the internet to investigate whether doggie Prozac was an option.  Luckily, with time, love and supporting each other, we were all able to continue on.  When Baby was eight, she moved to Colorado with me as I finished medical school and started my Ob/Gyn residency.  Baby and I summited our first 14,000 ft mountain together in 2003 - one of the happiest days of both our lives.  She lived to the age of 14 years and was a faithful companion during the many professional and personal trials I experienced during residency and the first year of my fellowship.  She joined Cho-Cho at Rainbow Bridge in 2008.  I still get choked up when I think about how much I miss Baby.  Here's Baby:

By the early 2000s, I started becoming aware of the issue of dog-rescue.  I'm not quite sure how I started becoming interested in rescue - it seems that many a nights at the hospital were spent surfing the internet, and many post-call days were spent sleeping with Animal Planet in the background.  In 2004, I adopted my lil gal, Circe (pronounced "Sir-see" - a goddess from The Odyssey who turned her enemies into pigs) from Dalmatian Rescue of Colorado.  She was a stray pup found in Phoenix at about 4-months of age.  For me, it was love at first photo.  The (presumed) rest of Circe's litter was found a few weeks later in Phoenix - they'd all stuck together while Circe had set off on her own path.  That independent streak has continued - and it's one of my favorite things about her!   I have many names for Circe - my lil' "Circ", Circ-pup and my lil' ambassador (she always goes out to greet other dogs at the dog park).  She turns 7-years old next month but still acts like a young pup.  She's even a published pup - on page 38 of the book "Dog Joy: The Happiest Dogs in the Universe" by the editors of The Bark.  Circe:

In 2006, I heard of a new litter of Dalmatian puppies found in rural Kansas - thought to have been from a puppy-mill.  After the pups weaned, I transported several of the pups back to Colorado (for Dalmatian Rescue of Colorado) - including my lil' Bacchus.  He was about 8-weeks old and only 6 little lbs!  I loved and spoiled that lil pup so much that he is still a lap dog (at 65 lbs!)  Bacchus has some protective tendencies and doesn't get to mingle at dinner parties - but I sure love that guy!  Bacchus:

All three dals:

Together, Bacchus, Circe and I have summited 25 of Colorado's 14,000 ft mountains - with the dogs in their protective booties and carrying their own gear in their backpacks.  They are even stellar tent campers!  We spend at least one day a week outdoors exploring Colorado - whether it's a hike, climb or just a jog at one of the many huge (100+ acre) dog-parks around the Front Range.  Life. Is. Good.

After finishing my medical training in July (where working 80-120 hours per week was not unusual), I promptly applied to volunteer at a no-kill shelter in Colorado...MaxFund.  I was immediately drawn to the Big Dog room and I started walking dogs on Day #1 of volunteering.  The first dog that I picked to walk (Kurtis - who has since found his Forever Family) is a totally loving young pup who really hated when us humans left him in his kennel after a walk.  He would "mouth" your arm to try and get you to stay.  I left MF on Day #1 with rather impressive "mouthing" bruises that made me smile each time I caught a glimpse of them.


Within my first week, I took Lazy on a walk.  What a sweet, big guy.  After leaving, I noticed that Lazy didn't have a bio on the MF website.  Having no idea how the bio writing process was supposed to go, I drafted a bio and sent it to the volunteer coordinator at the shelter.  She promptly posted it and sent a very gracious reply email outlining the volunteer forum and how I could join the forum and post bios.  


Here is my first bio on Lazy (unfortunately, I don't have a picture saved):


Hi everyone! My name is Lazy but I'm not sure exactly where that 
name came from because I sure like to go on walks! I'm a big guy 
but I'm oh-so-polite on a leash - I keep my pulling to a minimum and 
when I forget and give you a little tug, I turn right around when 
you call my name. I enjoy all the sights and sounds of the big-city 
and I howl right along with the ambulance sirens when they pass by! 
My howling sure seems to make the humans smile! I know how to sit 
and I am housebroken, but I'm excited to learn more obedience 
training. I may bark when you first walk past me at MaxFund but I'm 
just encouraging you to come meet me! I'm a big, friendly guy and 
can't wait to find my Forever Family!


I didn't know that I was supposed to review his history, mention how much he weighs or comment on his ability to get along with kids/cats/other dogs...all I knew is that I liked him a whole lot and wanted him to find a fabulous Forever Family!  And, what a thrill when I saw his name on the "adopted" list a couple weeks later!  I may not have changed the world but maybe, just maybe, I made a small difference in the world of this one guy.  I liked that feeling and wanted to help more pups! 

Since that first bio, I've done over 30 more.  The staff and volunteers at MaxFund have been critical in encouraging me to continue writing the bios - and in guiding me as to what I should include on each dog.  The purpose of my blog is to keep track of my bios, post pictures, give some more background that I can't give in the official bio and tell funny stories about the dogs I meet.  There is so much work to do to educate people about the importance of spaying/neutering and proper care and treatment of animals.   My greatest hope is that, someday, there will not be a need for shelter bios.   Until then, I hope to make a small difference in the lives of the animals that I encounter - and document my experiences in this blog.