Homeward Bound Guesthouse

06/06/2026

The Charlotte Shelter hosted a Foster Appreciation Day, so I set up a booth where people could paint their foster dogs and grab some free foster supplies. Such a great way to celebrate our foster community! 🐕

06/02/2026

BIG NEWS: We officially received our 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS today. 🎉

This milestone allows us to begin applying for grants, expanding partnerships, and accelerating our work around fostering education, community outreach, and dog bite prevention.

To celebrate, my foster doggos and I are partaking in a special treat. While they may not fully appreciate the significance of nonprofit tax status, they are wholeheartedly supportive of any milestone involving snacks. 🐶🍖

Thank you to everyone who has supported this vision along the way. We’re just getting started.

Onward and upward! 🐾

05/25/2026

I can’t get enough of this handsome fella or those stunningly blue eyes. Everyone, meet Maverick, my latest foster pup. 🩵

05/19/2026

So grateful for the support of the USDA as we begin planning to transform this guesthouse into a community-based learning space focused on education, agriculture, animal welfare, and meaningful community engagement. 🐕 🌾🏡

05/14/2026

Good news: we’ve secured our first college collaboration. 🎉

Dr. Elizabeth Benavides from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC is partnering with us to help support presentations and analyze the effectiveness of our dog bite prevention education in schools.

This partnership means so much because we’re not just trying to “raise awareness” — we’re working to better understand how education can create real behavior change and help keep children safer around dogs.

I know not many nonprofits have opportunities like this, so I’m incredibly excited and deeply grateful for the belief in this mission. 🐾

04/30/2026

Our 4-H Homeward Bound Dog Club is off to a wonderful start. It’s such a joy to watch members naturally connect with the foster dogs and stay so engaged throughout the learning experience. 🌾 💚

04/29/2026

Thank you to the staff and students at McClintock Middle School for the warm welcome today. I appreciated the opportunity to spend time onsite discussing dog welfare and bite prevention—and to continue supporting students across Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

04/29/2026

Exciting news! 🎉 I’ve been invited to speak at a North Carolina statewide conference—sharing the success of bringing dog welfare 🐶 and dog bite prevention ⚠️ into Charlotte-area classrooms, and helping other school districts bring this work to life. Onward!

04/27/2026

One of my most-listened-to episodes—likely because it’s so relatable. Fostering is deeply rewarding, but it’s not always “love at first sight.” In this episode of Foster Fast Track, we explore a rarely discussed reality: what happens when you don’t click with your foster dog. From “velcro dogs” to high-energy pups, we unpack the guilt and frustration that can come with a mismatch—and why fostering isn’t about forcing a connection, but about helping each dog find their way home.

Fostering is a rewarding journey, but it isn’t always "love at first sight." In this episode of Foster Fast Track, we tackle a taboo topic: what happens when...

04/27/2026

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with over 800 students about dog welfare, how to recognize and practice behaviors that help prevent dog bites, and the ways shelter dogs can teach us empathy and resilience.
But one of my favorite moments? When I showed this photo and a student raised their hand and asked, “Ma’am, I’m sorry if this is rude, but what happened to your dog to make him look like that?” 🤣