My Nonprofit Reviews

On March 10, 2018, I was heading home from grief counseling for the loss of my best friend and fur baby Luna the Shiloh Shepherd and decided to take a different route. It was a warm, sunny Saturday so a walk from Back Bay station to my home in Southie seemed like a good idea.

I happened upon a street sign for the Animal Rescue League of Boston and thought I'd pop in for some puppy therapy. Little did I know my life would be changing forever in less than an hour.

20 rescue puppies from Puerto Rico, all victims of Hurricane Maria, had arrived and a few were still in need of loving homes. I walked along the kennels, reading the profiles, and telling each pup how awesome they were and how they would be getting a family soon when I came upon a tiny pup with GIANT ears.

Her name was Alondra, a mini Shepherd mix about 4-5 months old...the oldest of all the PR puppies. As I was reading her story, she stuck a wee paw through the kennel gate and stared at me with big eyes, begging me to notice her.

I went up front to ask more about her and the staff asked if I wanted to take little Alondra for a walk outside.

I gave them my ID; the staff brought her out and leashed her up, and out we headed to the snow-covered side street. Alondra was curious and alert, but also really scared.

We walked to the front of the building where a group of dogs was romping and playing in the ARL dog park. Alondra was fascinated and went right up to the fence to watch with amazement. She clearly LOVED dogs!

Back inside, a bigger crowd had formed with more families showing up to find their forever pup. I sat on a bench and scooped little Alondra into my lap. The staff came over and asked, "So is she going home with you today?"

Without even thinking about it, I said "Yes. Yes, she is."

I filled out paperwork, picked a name (it wasn't Roo at first), got a starter bag of food, treats, and toys, and headed out with this wee pup to grab a Lyft home.

Fast-forward two years. Roo and I have been through A LOT. She's adjusted to massive change and a rough start in life as a mama-less stray fending for herself on a hurricane-ravaged island. She's helped me heal from the painful loss of Luna.

Roo Roo Bear is a sweet, silly, sassy girl and I'm proud to be her mama!