Lexie is a busy 17-year-old teenager with a heart of gold. She loves all animals, domestic and wild. She was born in South Korea where she volunteered as a dog walker at a pet shelter.
She has the gift of tenacity and purr-severance. “Having a dog or a cat was always a dream of mine. So every Christmas and birthday, I gave my parents a long letter listing good reasons why we should adopt a cat or a dog,” said Lexie.
While in Korea, Lexie found someone on a pet rescue website trying to find homes for four puppies. Her family went over “just to take a look.”. The smallest of the bark-babies approached her.
“He was so soft, little, light and delicate, and it was love at first sight for us both," said Lexie. "We named him Dana (Dan-Ah) which is usually a female name; but in Korean it means delicate, elegant, and graceful and he is so smart! He knows each family member. When I ask, ‘Where’s mom?’ He looks at mom and runs towards her. When my mom asks him, ‘Where’s big sister?’ He looks at me and comes to me.
He is curious too. When I’m changing, he comes to check whether I’m changing for a walk and gives me ‘the look’ as if to say, ‘So are we going out or what?’.”
Dana does not care what country he lives in, he loves everyone. When strangers approach him and his family out walking and they say, “How cute” he is, he dances in happy circles of joy.
Umm, on the bilingual aspect of training a dog a new language, Lexie admits, “Whenever we ask him to do tricks, he sometimes gets too excited and does extra tricks not requested or sits down, lies down or goes to his house. He brings us so much joy and laughter. When he asks with his little bark and pleading eyes for me to lift him up on my bed, he melts my heart. He then curls up next to me for a nap.
Whenever I’m stressed from high school, exams, anxious or mad, I know that Dana will always be there for me. He calms me down by curling up next to me and lets me pet him. He makes my family happy, and for that reason, I love him so much.”
When Lexie and her family moved to the North American continent, she ventured into new territory and began volunteering as a cat companion at a shelter near her home. This involves petting and socializing with cats, not a tough job at all!
“Pet shelters are amazing places where dogs, cats and many animals can find a new life,” said Lexie. “Even though I have a dog, I still love the idea of caring for animals who don’t have a home. I love cats and as a cat companion at the humane shelter, I am trying to convince my mom that we need a cat.
There are so many homeless-beautiful-sweet cats that melt my heart. I’m trying to educate her to this fact by also having her volunteer as a cat companion. This way she can ‘meet’ the cats in purrs-on and understand their need to find homes.
Who knows? Maybe she will fall in love with one. Keep your paws crossed that one day soon Dana will have a sibling.”
