We adopted our second dog, Oliver, from Korean K9 Rescue in May 2026, two and a half years after…read moreadopting our first KK9R dog, Bari. I remain profoundly grateful for this organization and for the people who do this extraordinarily difficult work.
Oliver came to us with a complicated history. He is a senior rescue who had already experienced a failed adoption and had spent years learning that human hands were not always safe. KK9R did not minimize his history, rush the process, or try to make him sound easier than he was. They were honest with us about his needs and thoughtful about whether our home was the right one for him.
Since his adoption, I have been reminded again and again why KK9R's process is as thorough as it is. Rescue is not simply about getting a dog out of a shelter and into a home. It is about doing everything possible to create a placement that can be permanent, and one in which the dog has a real chance to feel safe, be understood, and have a joyful life.
Oliver has now had significant dental work and eyelid surgery, and we are slowly building a life around safety, trust, consent, and predictability. He is funny, stubborn, deeply sensitive, and increasingly joyful. Watching him discover toys, enrichment, comfortable places to sleep, and the simple pleasure of being understood has been one of the great privileges of my life.
I am especially grateful to his fosters, his trainers, and the medical, adoption, and administrative teams and volunteers who cared for Oliver before he became ours and who trusted us with his next chapter. The work they do is expensive, complicated, emotionally demanding, and often invisible.
If you are considering adopting from KK9R, my advice is simple: take the process seriously. Follow their guidance. Listen when they tell you who a dog is. Understand that the requirements exist because these dogs have already endured enough uncertainty.
We did not need KK9R to make adoption easy. We needed them to help us make it permanent.
Thank you for Bari. Thank you for Oliver. And thank you for trusting us with both of them.