About 9 years ago, I rescued my bff and Branch Manager Teek from a county animal shelter in Los Angeles. She was in an outdoor pen with several other dogs who were fighting for my attention as I walked down each aisle, and surely fighting for food when it was delivered in a communal trough.
As I looked into Teek's pen I noticed her slowly poking her head toward the chain link and it was love at first sight. There were so many cute, loving dogs to adopt but I know she was the one for me. She had kennel cough and had to get shots and antibiotics prescribed before we could leave. For less than $40, I left that animal shelter with a new family member that has brought an incredible amount of joy to my life.
When people describe Teek, the two words most commonly used are either 'Sweet' or 'Yoda.' She has lots of nicknames though! Teek ALeek, Teekers, Teek-a-beek, Cat Dog, Schnookle, Puppy Dawg, I could go on. Here is a photo of Teek and I after the Chicago Triathlon, which we trained for as part of Teams PAWS Chicago. PAWS is a local non-profit animal shelter helping the lives of dogs and cats in Chicago. Many of Teek's dog park friends were adopted at PAWS.
I love wearing my puppy leggings to the dog park because my fellow pet parents know how much Teek means to me and I often get a laugh and a smile - 'is that Teek on your pants?!' What they don't usually realize is that buying these leggings helped a dog like Teek get another meal, extend their stay, or get healthier in an animal shelter like hers.
I don't think she's too embarrassed that I wear her face around town :)
Thank you for reading Teek's story! You can follow her adventures on Instagram, she goes by @instateek.
Carrie Leigh, Founder, Legs For Change