{Russel, a 7 lbs mini-poodle full of love, adopted by my mom from Bonnie Blue Rescue over the weekend}

Meet the new member of the family! I saw this absolutely adorable dog on Bonnie Blue Rescue facebook page and just had to share it with my Mom. She has been going back and forth about getting a dog or not, but once she saw this face, she fell hard. She and I headed down to Richmond Saturday evening (4 hr drive in total) to pick him up. Boy, are we madly in love.

He is such a joy, have high energy and an abundance of love. He’s perfect for my mom and I can’t imagine my mom’s life without him.

Russel, which is now his name (it’s slang in Sweden’s Gothenburg where it means ‘things happening in full force and speed’ describes him so well since he’s a whirlwind), is a grand example of how amazing rescue organizations like Bonnie Blue Rescue is. It’s run by my friend, Courtney Groves, who was just voted one of the “Top 40 Under 40” in Richmond, Va., for her dedication to this important cause. YAY for Courtney! So far, her small organization has rescued 626 dogs since 2008  from high-kill animal shelters in the South where adoption rates are low. She arranges volunteer transports to the Northeast where families are more prone to open their hearts and adopt animals in need of a home. I really cannot fathom why anyone would abandon a dog like Russel, let alone seeing him in a shelter waiting for his death sentence. He is nothing short of amazing and I already (just after 2 days) so blessed to know this 7 lbs happy spirit.

My own kitties are rescues as well. You may recall that Lola came to our patio every day for three weeks. I was a little slow to understand she didn’t have a home… I became so attached to her we decided to foster her even though Casey is allergic to cats. Two months in, and no severe allergy signs from Casey, we decided to keep her. She has changed my life completely. What a true angel she is in my life. Rasmus was adopted through the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation out of Arlington, Va., after I had seen him and accidentally named him. There was no turning back after that. You can read about our first few weeks with him here and here.

xo,
e.