📸: @sidandjoni
I live with my boyfriend, Brad, in Crown Heights. A little bit about Brad too: he works in tech as an SEO Analyst and he also gets to work from home! He plays a few different instruments in a few different bands and is a massive soccer fan.
I’ve lived in CH for 5 years, I love it and would not want to live anywhere else in the city. I moved into the apartment I am in now before my senior year of college and adopted my black cat, Sid, at the same time from Animal Haven. Brad moved in with me in 2020 and we adopted Joni from BARRKLI in 2021. Our home is full of love, laughter, and fun and I feel so thankful to be here with the three beings I love most in the world.
📸: @sidandjoni
What are your favorite dog friendly local spots?
What is the happiest part of having a dog?
How long do you have? Haha! Joni has brought so much joy into our lives. She is so silly, snuggly, sweet, and loving. She has taught me how to not only advocate for her but advocate for myself. I have learned that in order to make sure her needs are met, I have to work to meet my own.
One incredible perk of having Joni has been the community that we have created both online and IRL. I first created an Instagram for Joni to share silly photos of her, I had no idea it would turn into what it is today. I have made friends from all over the globe who are constantly supporting us on our journey. We’ve even found a pack here in Brooklyn of dogs and their owners who care so much about their dogs and are always there to talk about training, frustrations, happiness, and challenges with each other.
Joni has given us a purpose. To have something in your life that depends on you for its existence teaches you how to prioritize and I feel so thankful to have learned so much about myself, my relationships, and my life from Joni.
📸: @sidandjoni
What is the most challenging part of having a dog
Joni is a reactive, aggressive dog. She has made HUGE strides in her behavioral issues in the last year but she still has a ways to go. This is challenging in a lot of ways but as much as it is challenging, it is fulfilling because we get to see the growth and know that together, we can work through anything.
Joni is not the dog I envisioned having - the dog that can play with other dogs, love everyone, go anywhere - but at the end of the day, she is the dog I needed. It was a challenge to change my mindset to this but since I have, our life together has been so much better.
Up next for Joni is heading to a board & train for 4 weeks beginning July 15th. She will be working on her proper socialization, recall, solidifying her commands, and overall obedience. We are so excited for this next part of our journey and we feel so lucky that we are able to provide Joni with this opportunity.
How do you see yourself with you and your dog within 5 years?
Ideally, we will be living somewhere upstate, in the woods where Joni can be running free and living her best life all of the time. We will likely adopt a few more cats, maybe foster some dogs, as of now Joni is an only dog kind of dog and I am okay with that but I hope to have more space to be able to foster and even if Joni and the dog aren’t friends, they will both have space to coexist and receive attention. I am definitely not a lifetime city-dweller but I feel so thankful for all of the lessons and challenges the past 8 years in this city have given me and I wouldn’t change a single thing.
In addition to being this week's spotlighted rep, enjoy 20% off your order, plus 10% of all proceeds from purchases made through 7/3 using the code JONI20 will be donated to The National Network of Abortion Funds. Alexa will also be personally matching this number.
Our community is extremely important to us, and we always try to support them whenever we can if they need to create awareness or use their voices for others who can't.