Page 5 - ClearTheShelters_PetTales

KOKO & OLIVIA

KoKo (aka: Kokito) is a 16-year-old Jack
Russel/Chihuahua mix. She grew up in LA as our family
pup and relocated with my son Ki and I, when I started a
new professional chapter in Miami. She is now back in
San Diego with Ki as he attends college at UCSD (she’s
very attached to him). I miss her SO much, but she is
HOME…KoKo goes back and forth between Ki’s college
campus and my parents’ house in LA, getting all sorts of
cuddles from her west coast family. The snaps you see
here were from her Quinceañera photo shoot at Bark
Park before they moved back.

Captain Olivia Benson (aka: Liv, Benson, Gorda) is a one-and-a-half-year-old Tricolor Beagle. Ever
since my son took Koko back home to California, everyone in my circle knew I was looking for a new pup
to bring into my home (this empty-nester thing is REAL)!!! One day, a friend shared a social media post
about a beagle at a nearby shop. While I did “buy” Olivia from a puppy shop at 4 months old (at a VERY
reduced cost), I like to think that I saved her, and here’s why: A family had
purchased her several weeks before and later changed their mind.
She was getting “too old to sell” and I was told she would soon
go off to a third party. If they couldn’t find her a home, she’d
likely be bought off by a lab or be put down soon after
(sadly, beagles are the most in-demand animal for lab
testing and experiments). While I did pick up on
behavioral issues right away, I was up for the challenge
—she was just what I needed as my son started his new
chapter in pursuit of higher education. Most importantly,
Olivia was born on December 5, the very same date I
lost my best friend to brain cancer in 2016. When I
learned of her birth date at the shop, I knew in my heart
she was meant for me.

She’s grown into a loving, goofy and hyper tween who loves
to chew on just about anything. She’s a work in progress, as
am I. She likes taking selfies on any phone she can get her hands
on, long walks, chewing on her own ears, watching Law & Order SVU
and Paw Patrol. She dislikes when I leave for work and has no choice but to
wait patiently, because she eats like a baby dinosaur and I’m the one who funds her meals, lol!

Submitted by:

LadyJo Renza,
Specialist, Corporate Events & TC Experience

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