City: San Francisco, CA
Angel Pup: TiCo
Instagram: @kkaraman
Why do you enjoy being a Puppy Mama Ambassador?
"It's simple. I have met the most fabulous people being connected - because of my pup - through this loving community. I take every opportunity I can to have an enthusiastic, fun and engaging conversation about dogs and building a healthy, happy community. When I share the Puppy Mama mission of intertwining the two, everyone quickly smiles and gets on board! I may be sporting a cute Puppy Mama sweatshirt, walking my suuuuper cute 8-yr-old Cavalier King Charles TiCo or sharing the PM goals with my colleagues...
I continue to hear Maya Angelo in my head 'We are more alike, my friends than we are unalike'. This means that by having this little guy in my life to snuggle, and keep safe I have a reason to find similarities vs differences with those I meet. I can build a broader foundation for my community and ultimately help others find that same foundation, smile and safety."
Why are you passionate about Puppy Mama's mission?
"Firstly, I completely love my perfect pup TiCo. Every day for the past 8 years, he wakes me up in the morning with as much joy as the day I met him. He is my bf, has a multitude of nicknames, makes me smile when I'm not, calms me with one look, energizes me to be caring and grateful.
Additionally, I've met and enhanced my community because he's my sidekick. I met Theresa and Waffles via another community connection and immediately wanted to get on board the Puppy Mama mission, and further increase inclusion of our 4-legged bfs in our communities starting here in SF. I've also become aware of the emotional support needs of American female veterans. What a difference some puppy love and community friendships will make in the long process of healing and treating their illnesses."
Tell us more about TiCo. How does he help you?
"As a first time dog owner, I had no clue how much folks love their pets. When I heard, 'they are like my child' I could not understand. Immediately upon meeting TiCo, an adorable Cavalier, I understood and I've been infatuated with him since 2010.
TiCo is my unwavering, side-kick. Whether I'm walking, drinking wine, working out or watching TV my buddy is here. TiCo has many nick names and responds to all of them. In fact, his human cousins love calling him by his string of names. Oddly, they often greet him before me...hmmm. More than a buddy, TiCo is my non-verbal therapist. He gives me the look when I'm loud, triggering me to correct my reaction. He snuggles me when times are tough and smiles as big as the sun when it's time for a simple treat. Our deal is simple too. I love him. He loves me back."
Have you enjoyed helping Puppy Mama launch Bay Area events?
"I love to join and help organize the Puppy Mama events because Theresa Piasta, our CEO and Founder, is amazingly creative and so much fun to be around! Additionally, I meet all types of dog lovers, wine and fitness enthusiasts who also love SF! Dressing up in SF is a 'thing' and we embrace it whenever possible.
2018 is Year of the Dog and we took that seriously kicking off our first of many walks down The EmBARKadero. Being featured in SF Chronicle was a plus to kick off the year! The entire crew posed for photos, paraded and partook in some pints at the end of our walk. We will be looking for more lovely establishments who welcome dogs and dog lovers across The Bay. In fact I'd bet your city would be purrrfect for a pawsome Puppy Mama activity, too!"
Do you find yourself often taking pictures of your dog around your city, at dog parks, on trips, etc? If you do, you are the pawfect fit to be a Puppy Mama Ambassador!
City: San Diego, CA
Angel Pup: Pax @Paxthedood
Why do you enjoy being a Puppy Mama Ambassador?
"Being an ambassador for Puppy Mama is something I am very passionate about. The world right now needs a lot of healing and unity.
I like being a puppy mama ambassador because it gives me a platform to use my voice and to advocate for those who do not feel they have one. I hope that I can help create change, instill hope, and spread love. I have a background of leading yoga teacher training and facilitating wellness and holistic healing workshops. One of the most important elements of leading these groups is the connection and empowerment that occurs.
Currently, I connect women in my local area and try to incorporate puppy dates or mommy wine dog park romps! It is so wonderful to connect with other women who are pawssionate about their pups and spending time with them. I can't wait to start building relationships with other women in the local area and supporting this initiative. Also, I spend a lot of time researching different topics regarding Pax and I love educating others on what I am learning."
Did you enjoy helping us launch our first Puppy Mama Show @puppy.mama on Instagram?
"My experience with helping Puppy Mama launch their first LIVE show was wonderful! It was fantastic to 1) be able to spend time with Pax and 2) connect with the Puppy Mama community. It was fantastic to reflect on the last 6 months of learning more about being a puppy mama and myself."
Would you encourage other women to share their stories LIVE, as well?
"Originally, I was very hesitant about showing up publicly on Pax's account and wanted to keep myself private. However, due to the massive energy that has been occurring both in the world of social media and outside in the real world, I would now absolutely encourage other women to share their story. There is something very powerful, healing, courageous about saying things about yourself out loud. Additionally, sharing in a community that is so supportive and welcoming makes it a very pawsitive experience! It was so awesome to read the comments and only gave me more confidence as I was sharing."
How special is puppy love?
"Puppy love is unlike any other kind of love. Imagine never having a bad day because you're surrounded by a being that is filled with happiness all the time. When I come home from work and he is wagging his tail and licking my face all over, I feel so loved and complete. I feel more complete and satisfied spending time with Pax than doing other things that don't really fill me up as much. He is never a burden or a stress. The responsibility of being a puppy mama is a privilege and I truly feel grateful to be able to experience this type of unconditional love. Pups help society be more pawsitive, kind, open minded, and friendly!"
"I’m an only child and have been wanting that best friend/sibling my whole life. Although, Pax is more like my child than my brother…his love fills a void in my heart that I always knew was missing. He is my best friend (don’t tell my husband :D). We named him Pax as it means peace in latin and that’s exactly what he is to me and we hope he will be to others. I watch him interact with other people and it is so beautiful how much joy he spreads when out and about.
Pax has brought me so much happiness and helps me stay in the present. Pax grounds me and has helped me to appreciate what is most important in life. He makes me laugh everyday, he makes me love so much deeper, and he has brought my husband and I even closer together. He teaches me to not take life so seriously, to enjoy every moment to its highest capacity, and to love unconditionally.
Every moment with Pax is a learning experience and a blessing. He changed me and I can’t imagine life without him. He is the best thing that has ever happened to us!"
Nikki lives in San Diego, California with her husband, Jarrod and loves being a Puppy Mama to Pax the dood!
She is a a business coach at a real estate education company and is a full time graduate student. She is getting her PhD in Clinical Psychology & Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy. Nikki is very passionate about travel, photography, writing, and being outdoors. She loves yoga, hiking, hosting parties, and wine tasting!
Do you find yourself often taking pictures of your dog around your city, at dog parks, on trips, etc? If you do, you are the pawfect fit to be a Puppy Mama Ambassador!
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Angel Pup: Miss Harley Queen (aka Harlequin or “Harley” for short)
Why do you enjoy being a Puppy Mama Ambassador?
"Being a Puppy Mama Ambassador has given me an incredible sense of community and belonging. My world went pretty dark in the months before adopting Harley, but through her I have rediscovered some of the light I thought I had lost forever. I was rescued by my four-legged soulmate and connected with a likeminded community of Puppy Mamas who adore their furry best friends as much as I do. I absolutely love the Puppy Mama mission. Dogs are magical creatures and seeing all the other amazing women around the world sharing their stories of overcoming obstacles, finding themselves, and celebrating the love of their fur babies is so uplifting.
Thanks to Puppy Mama, I have been inspired to do my part to create a more dog-friendly world and to continue to raise awareness for the benefits of canine therapy on a regular basis."
Did sharing your story help you along your healing journey?
"I absolutely found sharing my story to be a cathartic experience. I have found that putting things in writing helps me to process my emotions and if sharing my story can help other people who are going through difficult times feel that they are not alone - that is doubly rewarding. Even though society has come a long way from where it was as far as accepting and understanding mental health issues, there is still so far to go.
I hope that I can help facilitate the conversation and continue to give a voice to those who are struggling, if only to let others know that they are not alone. They are enough and they are worthy of feeling loved and supported."
How important was it to be able to share your health story to a supportive platform?
"Having a supportive, likeminded, and loving community to share my story with has created many meaningful and healing connections for me. This has been a huge part of helping me feel supported and understood during a very dark time.
I truly believe that these bonds I have forged through the Puppy Mama network will be ones that will last a lifetime. They are relationships with women around the world who can understand and empathize with my struggles, who have the same beliefs and priorities as I do, and who celebrate the gift of the unconditional love and healing our pups provide us. Having access to this online network that feels like a family has truly been a gift during my recovery."
Would you encourage others to share their health journey stories - the way that you so courageously did?
"Absolutely. I have found that one of the best ways to make a difference in this world is through sharing your stories. To reach out, connect, and touch others with your trials and triumphs. Creating a more tolerant and loving world begins with understanding each others’ experiences."
Why are you passionate about Puppy Mama's mission?
"Without canine therapy, I don’t know where I would be today. Harley is quite literally my lifeline on my bad days and the highlight of my good ones. As my emotional support animal, she accompanies me pretty much everywhere and helps to ground me and keep me calm. Since rescuing Harley, my eyes have been opened to just how many limits exist on where dogs are allowed and welcomed.
Puppy Mama’s mission to heighten accessibility for our four-legged friends and raise awareness for the benefits of canine therapy is a mission I stand behind 1000%. Knowing how much Harley’s presence and unconditional love in my life has done to change my world for good makes me very passionate about doing my part to help create a more dog-friendly world."
"Like most twenty-somethings, I was lost and struggling to find my place in the world. Like many individuals in the world, I was battling mental illness (my darkness takes the form of depression, anxiety, and PTSD). Like the majority of the adult population, I was pretending to know what I was doing with this whole “adulting” thing. I was lost. I was broken. I was searching for meaning; for my purpose.
Then came my purpose, in the form of 22lbs of scruff and an underbite. My little sass monster. My soul mate. My muse. A rescue dog from an abusive background who had been abandoned not once, but twice, searching for her forever home. Yet still, she found me and she chose to trust me, to love me, and to re-introduce me to the light I thought had left my world for good.
I will forever be grateful for Miss Harley Queen (aka Harlequin or “Harley” for short, the namesake behind my company Harlequin’s Closet @harlequinscloset) and I would argue that she is actually the one who “rescued” me. She is the best part of my day and has inspired me to fight the odds and chase my dreams. It is because of her that I am where I am today; that I am emerging from the darkness to become the woman I dream of being."
Do you find yourself often taking pictures of your dog around your city, at dog parks, on trips, etc? If you do, you are the pawfect fit to be a Puppy Mama Ambassador!
City: Adelaide, Australia
Angel Pup: Bella
Instagram: @husky_bellarina
Why do you enjoy being a Puppy Mama Ambassador?
"What is exciting to me about the Puppy Mama ambassador program - is the mission to see which places are dog-friendly, and the possibility of making new friendships built over similar experiences (i.e. finding that it might be more common that people have dogs to aid with their mental state)."
Laura & Bella - Their Story:
"Bella is everything to me and my husband, as if a child of our own, because we have no children.
The last 3 years have been awful, as last year we got told we have medically unexplained infertility. We are high school sweethearts, have been together for half our lives, thought we do the 'right' thing by studying and working hard for our degrees and later careers. We sacrificed traveling the world, partying etc. to be top students and save money for our dream wedding and 1st home. When we were financially setup, we wanted to start our dream family.
Well - all came true but the last part. Not being able to have children like everyone else hit us like a ton of bricks. Our 30th birthdays came and went, and that's when Bella came into our lives...just at the right time to save us from a destructive pathway. I got her as a puppy for my husband's 30th, and from that day, our lives were changed.
"She gives us such happiness - it's unreal and most people don't 'get it'. I've seen some really dark days month after month as all my family and friends are moving on to their 2nd baby, and we are still baby-less in a big house. But, Bella is right there by my side, she refuses to leave, with her head on my lap or paw in my hand, and yet somehow she makes me feel better. Bella is our light on our dark days, we love her so dearly and honestly don't know how to live without her now."
"I’m a Science graduate (Medicinal chemistry major) but I work full-time in the Healthcare industry as a professional trainer and an instructional designer. I love what I do, as the company I work for helps cancer patients.
I’m yet to discover what communities there are in Australia that provide therapy/assistance dogs to people suffering from depression, cancer, infertility etc."
Do you find yourself often taking pictures of your dog around your city, at dog parks, on trips, etc? If you do, you are the pawfect fit to be a Puppy Mama Ambassador!