Dao Dogs and Cats
I can’t get enough of my dogs and cats, and I honestly wouldn’t have had them without the spontaneity of Dao.
BOWIE (large dog, brown fur):
My first dog after almost a decade of living without a furry companion, I found her on the streets smiling at me with her precious eyes and wagging her tail. I immediately picked her up, took her home, and after about a month of trying to figure out what to do or if she deserved a better home for a more qualified person to care for her, I finally realized we were meant for each other and haven’t looked back since.
TSUKI (smaller dog, light brown fur with white streaks):
Three months younger than Bowie, she was born on the full moon and grew up alongside Bowie with a friend’s family before eventually being taken into my home alongside Bowie, who have been best friends and sisters, inseperable and indescribably adorable both on her own and together with her sister.
FREYJA (gray and white cat):
My first cat, she was given to me to foster before the shelter took her in to take care of her health. I eventually got the okay to bring her home and after almost a year of struggling to learn how to understand cats while still getting used to being a dog parent, she has become my darling as much as a teenage goth daughter is to any daddy dearest.
LUMEN (white cat):
A little ball of light and love, I found her while walking Bowie and Tsuki home and took her in, initially planning to foster her and find her a new home, but she was just too sweet and got along well with Freyja and the dogs, so we eventually decided to bring her into the family.
One of my dreams is to open up an animal rescue shelter eventually, to get abused, abandoned, or stray animals the care they need and to foster them in preparation for adoption, or to train them as therapy animals.
I hope to eventually have a special space to house rescued animals and allow volunteers to help care for them, as well as visitors to be able to play with them as part of their healing and therapy process alongside training in basic Daoist health and longevity arts like qigong and meditations like standing (Zhan Zhuang) and circle walking (Zou Zhuang).
In an ideal setting: patients seeking care will be able to come in and a) volunteer and get some experience with animal care, b) learn some Daoist self-care techniques that are great for improving health and well-being (mental, emotional, and physical), c) help expand the mission using Daoist skills to help animals and people in need, especially marginalized, abused, and those without the financial means to seek care, and make this a worldwide practice.