In 2009 I experienced the loss of my soulmate Kito, a much loved American Akita.

D.R.E.A.M DOGS was created after I threw myself into helping dogs, owners, fosters and rescue shelters to fill the void left by Kito. It became a personal project to honour his memory.

Kito was killed by a hit and run driver in a freak accident but it was on me to keep him safe and it was on me to have known what to do for him after the accident happened.

I failed him and I have lived with that regret ever since.

Those who have experienced a special bond with their animals understand the uniquely traumatic nature of this type of loss.

Losing him was devastating and the grief and guilt lead to the decision to never own another dog again. I know many people have made the same choice after going through similar pain.

I hope to help more people avoid the mistakes I made and contribute towards more positive outcomes for dogs.

I’m grateful to Kito, the various dog professionals I’ve met and followed online and of course the rescued dogs I’ve worked with for almost 20 years who have taught me the most and made my life happier for it.

You can meet some of them here.

D.R.E.A.M DOGS is Kito’s living legacy project which is now dominating all my life choices, just as he did when he was alive - I went nowhere without him.

I know there are more D.R.E.A.M.ers out there. It would be amazing to connect with as many people as possible to do even more for dogs.

I’m always happy to support anyone helping dogs or wanting to do similar work. I’ve developed a free guide/refresher for helping street dogs build their immune system here. I hope you find it useful.