Back in 2019, when the world was a far less complicated place, a trip to my homeland of Ukraine to find the dog of my dreams was a wonderful experience.
I’ve always had a dog growing up, whether it was my Chihuahua, Yorkie or Maltese. Having smaller dogs my entire life made me wish for a bigger dog to play with. My mom was also always interested in getting a Standard Poodle, because of their obedience and looks.
Back in 2019, my mom found a breeder in the country of her birth, Ukraine. The breeder had just had a litter of Standard Poodles. It was big news for my family and, somehow, my mom figured out a way for my dad, sister and me to go to Ukraine and bring Tibby home. Since most of our family lives there, we decided to turn it into a vacation. As soon as we got out of the airport we were greeted by Tibby, who has become one of the best additions to our family.
Bringing her with us around the beautiful Ukrainian countryside was not an easy process, but we made an adventure out of it. Our favorite spot was the Carpathian Mountains located in Western Ukraine (see photo). We woke up for the sunrise and took her on a little hike on one of the ski trails.
After two weeks of visiting family and bonding with Tibby, it was finally time to haul her back home to the States. I don’t know which part was worse, figuring out a way to get her onto a 14-hour flight, or running through one of the biggest airports in the world, Istanbul Airport, during a 30-minute layover.
As soon as we got home, Tibby quickly assumed a prominent role in our family. We’d take her and our other dog, Gucci, on road trips to the Poconos, Carolinas and Florida, which is where we found out that she’s definitely a beach lover.
Since poodles are a popular breed at dog shows, we always thought about having Tibby as a competitor in the future. Now, thanks to my internship at Vizion Group PR, I know a lot more about the details involved with the execution of the show. Vizion Group handles the marketing and public relations for the National Dog Show, which everyone watches on Thanksgiving Day every November. I am super excited about the opportunities and experiences that I will take throughout this internship and, who knows, maybe we will get Tibby to become a competitor someday.