A Message from Myra Vandenberg--Original Participant of the My Dog is My Home films

It has been four years since Prince and I participated in the My Dog is My Home documentary series. AND four years since Prince and I have come off the streets to find a place to call home. Wow! What a ride we have been on since then! For one, Prince was joined by a brother who I adopted from some folks who lived right around the corner from the original location of The Animal Museum--where My Dog is My Home was founded! I named Prince's adopted brother Happy, because that's exactly what he is and how he makes both me and Prince feel every day!

I am wonderfully blessed to share my life with Happy and Prince. I take pleasure in their unconditional love and loyalty, and I happily return it in kind. At the same time, I worry.

On June 22, 2017 I turned 65. Shortly after I had a mild stroke. It was a frightening time, and all I could think about was my dogs. What if I could no longer take care of them? What if I died before them? Who will care for them like I do? The thought of my two beloved pets ending up in a shelter was enough to send chills down my spine. 

On top of that, Prince suffered a tick infestation and earlier in the year, he was diagnosed with heart worm. And Happy was not making it easy for Prince or for me to rest! Happy may be happy, but sometimes his puppy energy can be trying. But with caring organizations like My Dog is My Home and my new friends at Bark Avenue Foundation, I found the support I needed to help pull us through rough times.

There have been a number of challenges we have had to face as a family. But I would never abandon my boys in times like these, because they have been there for me, through homelessness, through sickness and health--through thick and thin! 

Thank you for caring about us. And thank you for fighting a good fight for others like us. We hope that this is just the beginning of a movement to help the people and animals who find a home in each other despite having little else.