I recently moved to Nashville in August after having lived most of my life in Northern Illinois. I was tired of the midwest and needed a change.

Growing up, I always loved Kentucky and Tennessee, so when it came time to pick a new place to live I was easily drawn back to the area. I visited Nashville in the spring and decided to move here whether I had a job or not. It ended up being the not….

After about three weeks of living here and knowing very few people and not working, I realized I needed a way to meet new people. I was at REI, when a very friendly employee and I got to talking. She suggested I join Nashville Hiking Meetup, as that’s how she met a lot of people when she first moved here. So I went home created a profile and began looking at events. It only took me a couple minutes to stumble upon the Tails of the Trails events and eagerly signed up for the next open event. That event just so happened to be a walk with Middle Tennessee Boxer Rescue (MTBR).

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I went to that event and fell in love. I realized how much I missed being around dogs and how much they added to my life. After the event I asked Nicole, one of MTBR’s volunteers if they needed any extra help and she said YES! I began walking with the MTBR volunteers the next day and continued walking with them several times a week.

When I moved to Nashville, I had considered bringing my family dog Emma, but ultimately decided against it for many reasons. I didn’t know quite what my apartment was going to be like, how much time I would have for her, she’s an older dog used to her routine, and my parents are more attached than they care to admit. I didn’t think I would be adopting a dog anytime soon but that changed as soon as I met Mason.

Mason was this incredibly handsome boxer mix at MTBR who very quickly stole my heart. I avoided walking him for about the first week or so because I just had a feeling the minute I walked him I was going to get attached, and boy was I right about that.

The first time I walked him he was so well mannered and just such a sweet, easy-going boy that you can’t help but loving him. I remember telling my boyfriend about him, and his response was, “well if you love him so much then why don’t you adopt him?”

At first I told myself, “no you can’t adopt a dog that big, your apartment won’t allow it, plus it’s a small space it might not be fair to him.” This went on for a couple weeks where I just kept telling myself no I couldn’t do it. But finally I couldn’t say no anymore. I would fall asleep imagining bringing him home and taking him on all sorts of adventures. It finally got to a point where I knew I just needed to try to adopt him.

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I talked to the staff at my apartment first and made sure his weight wasn’t going to be an issue. They confirmed there are only breed restrictions not weight restrictions, so I was a go there. Then I filled out the application and patiently awaited my decision. After about a week I got a very congratulatory phone call saying I’d been approved and I could pick Mason up that weekend. I was beyond thrilled. When I went to pick Mason up that Saturday, everyone at the rescue was so happy for the both of us that I knew I had made the right decision.

I’ve only had Mason for a couple of weeks but he’s been everything I’ve imagined and more. After waiting for a home at MTBR for about 8 months, I think he is just as appreciative as I am.

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Adopting Mason has added so much joy to my life. He makes me smile every day and he’s just a happy, loving, easygoing boy to have around. Without Tails of the Trail and MTBR I never would have met him and he might still be waiting for his forever home. I feel very lucky to have found both of these organizations and one especially great dog.

Kaye Kleine is a recent transplant to Nashville and is an event leader for Tails of the Trail.