Michele's Story as she tells it.....

Michele age 12 and Sunny age 4

Often I am deeply touched by a customers story and this makes the piece I create that much more special. I created the "Sunny" necklace below for Michele in honor of Sunny. Please read Michele's story about Sunny as she tells it:

Michele's Story... As she tells it!

When I was 8 years old my mom surprised me with a puppy! We named her Sunny because of her blonde coat. Sunny was adopted from the Jefferson County Animal Shelter in Port Townsend, Washington on September 9, 1999; they estimated she was only 2 months old. Her breed was a Labrador dog mixed with a Mastiff dog.

My brother, who was 7, and I learned all about the responsibilities of pet ownership. We fed her, bathed her, played with her and helped with training her. We were also able to teach her tricks like speak, shake paws, rollover, and to beg on up on her hind legs.

Over the years we moved many times. Our constant companion was our dog Sunny. My mom taught us very early on that pet ownership is a lifetime commitment and is to be taken very seriously. Sunny would always be a member of the family and not ever given away because of the inconvenience of a move.

Sunny grew to be a large dog. At her strongest point, she weighed 123 pounds. Although she was too strong for us to walk her, mom and dad had too, we sure enjoyed playing with her at the beach, in the rivers and hiking in the hills.

About two years ago the vet told us she had diabetes. This is when my brother and I learned the meaning of sacrificing to care for a pet you love. Sunny had a new, special diet. She had to receive two injections a day of insulin. We never left her alone unless it was absolutely necessary because she would sometimes have seizures and she needed us.

This past January we kissed our Sunny goodbye. It was very difficult for all of us. I missed her so much that I decided to return to the Jefferson County Animal Shelter to not only thank them for the precious gift of Sunny, but to see if I could share some of my love for dogs with the homeless animals at the shelter.

I became a volunteer at the shelter and the staff was grateful for my time and efforts. I decided to take my advocacy a step further and I gained permission from my school to change my senior project to fundraising efforts for the animals and raising awareness of the needs of this shelter in the community. In Sunny’s sweet memory I am happy to be a voice for the homeless animals.

Jefferson County Animal Shelter

112 Critter Lane, Port Townsend, WA 98368

I am pleased to announce that I am teaming up with Michele in her efforts to raise money for The Jefferson County Animal Shelter. For every "Woof" necklace, which can be customized or for each NEW Pet Tag that is purchased I will donate 10% of proceeds to the Jefferson County Animal Shelter.





If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. You can always visit my shop at Kristen's Custom Creations.