Nashville Banner covers Tails of the Trail™ hike at Metro Nashville Animal Care and Control
Amy Eskind and Micah Schulman from The Nashville Banner paid us a visit during our hike with Metro Animal Care and Control and gave us some great coverage.
Amy Eskind and Micah Schulman from The Nashville Banner paid us a visit during our hike with Metro Animal Care and Control and gave us some great coverage.
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).
[av_image src=’https://tailsofthetrail.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Kaye-at-first-MTBR-180×180.jpg’ attachment=’947′ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ styling=” hover=’av-hover-grow’ link=’lightbox’ target=” caption=” font_size=” appearance=” overlay_opacity=’0.4′ overlay_color=’#000000′ overlay_text_color=’#ffffff’ animation=’no-animation’][/av_image]
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.
[av_image src=’https://tailsofthetrail.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/FB_IMG_1447546268616-180×180.jpg’ attachment=’946′ attachment_size=’square’ align=’right’ styling=” hover=’av-hover-grow’ link=’lightbox’ target=” caption=” font_size=” appearance=” overlay_opacity=’0.4′ overlay_color=’#000000′ overlay_text_color=’#ffffff’ animation=’no-animation’][/av_image]
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.
[av_image src=’https://tailsofthetrail.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/20151114_124907-180×180.jpg’ attachment=’944′ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ styling=” hover=’av-hover-grow’ link=’lightbox’ target=” caption=” font_size=” appearance=” overlay_opacity=’0.4′ overlay_color=’#000000′ overlay_text_color=’#ffffff’ animation=’no-animation’][/av_image]
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.
In the December 2015 issue of Nashville Lifestyles magazine, writer Claire Osburn talks about the launch of Tails of the Trail from its roots with Nashville Hiking Meetup. Read the full article here.
Heather Dowdy features Tails of the Trail™ in the December 2015 / January 2016 holiday issue of Nashville Paw magazine. The article includes paw-tography by our own Reiner Venegas.
Nashville Paw has been supporting animal rescue and welfare since 2006.
See the online version of the article here.
Find where to pick up a print issue in Middle Tennessee here.
Nashville’s independent radio Lightning 100 interviewed Kelly Stewart of Nashville Hiking Meetup for the Nashville by Nicole show, which introduces “Lightning 100 listeners to non-profits & local organizations that are doing great things in their community & challenge them to volunteer & get engaged to see lives changed, including their own.” The episode originally aired on June 13, 2015.
The Tennessean’s Ms. Cheap ran a blurb about an upcoming Tails of the Trail event with Nashville Hiking Meetup. See the article here.
On November 22, 2014, Nashville Hiking Meetup launched the first Tails of the Trail event where we sprung shelter dogs out of jail for an afternoon hike. Along for the ride were Cheatham County Animal Control (Pegram, TN, USA) and Noah’s Ark Society, a rehabilitation and adoption agency in Nashville. Aerial footage by Michael Mitchell.
Producers from public television’s ‘Wild Side‘ (formerly ‘Tennessee’s Wild Side’) were on hand for the inaugural Tails of the Trail program at Cheatham County Animal Control along with our adoption partners Noah’s Ark Society. Check out the segment which debuted the weekend of April 11, 2015.