I grew up with a beautiful Golden Retriever that passed away due to cancer. While we had Charlie, we brought in a very smart Black Lab, Dexter, who is 12 years old now. He currently is my family dog living with epilepsy and hip dysplasia. Very familiar with giving him his medication exactly 12 hours a part. I volunteered for no kill animal shelters and rescues for about 7 years total. I was trained how to properly walk a dog of all sizes. With some background- I decided it was time to take on my own rescue pup. I had the confidence from all my experiences in choosing Aspen, a 2 year old super mutt from the streets of Tijuana. She was extremely fearful of strangers and dogs. I decided to obtain a trainer for Aspen- Ever since, her trainer has become a close friend and mentor! I have been taking training lessons on the side to learn how to work with dogs with fear based backgrounds. My pup has been a true test to this. She is not fully there with strangers, as she can be triggered. This is something I have accepted that we will CONTINUE working with lots of positive reinforment. Once she warms up, she goes from 0% to 100% in TRUST! Once she trusts, she loves so hard. Happy to say she loves to socialize with dogs with a proper introduction as well. : ) Big win. Would love to one day own my own animal rescue and offer programs to help socialize pups so they can live their best lives with confidence.