Hey! Thanks for checking out not only my website, but my blog too!I'm hoping to use this space to help people connect with resources they need for pet care. I thought it would only be appropriate to start by giving an in-depth explanation of how this all came to be.
August 12, 2010 is the day that I got Duncan - everyone who knows me already knows who he is. If you don't, Duncan was my first horse. After a really bad fall at a horse show, I was finally able to convince my parents that owning a horse was the best choice. We had spent some time looking but I will never forget the moment I saw him. After falling behind my mom and trainer to get my saddle, I walked around the corner and I knew immediately that he was meant to be with us. We hadn't even left the driveway when we got his then owner on the phone. We said we'd take him and to please not show him to anyone else. Some of my favorite things about him, after meeting him only once, were his extremely unique markings and that he wasn't a chestnut (one of my only two requests) but instead a "Dun". The one flaw he did have was having a health condition but it was completely manageable and honestly, through all of the years owning him, not much of an issue.
Once we got him to the barn I was riding at, it all clicked into place. He was by far the most incredible horse I have ever ridden. In terms of how he felt and responded, he was by far the safest horse you could be around, no doubt. Honestly, I have no idea how to even begin describing him. I can't find a way that describes him half as incredible as he really was. Everyone who knew him would always make comments like "there’s no one like Duncan" because it was true. In all my years, I have never met a more perfect being before. And everything about him was perfect. We competed together for years in Dressage, Eventing, Hunters/Jumpers, but we spent most of our time just putzing around the property on trails, galloping up the back hill, and just spending time together. I spent years driving to and from that barn until we were able to build our own barn and bring him home.
Once the decision was made to move Duncan home, we began the hunt for a companion and after not much searching, my mom came across a craigslist ad for a horse named Calvin. After testing quite a few other horses,really looking for something that would be an easy keep and a good bud for Duncan,once again we knew immediately that he was the one. My mom says that she had no doubt when 3 little girls no older than 8 years old all gathered around him, took his lead, and walked off with him
The boys came home and everything got better. I woke up everyday seeing them and spent all my free time hanging in the paddock or fields with them. And I loved it. I made every decision in my life around them and based on what would be best for them - from where I went to college to where I bought my first house.
I cannot express how perfect Duncan really was. You could do absolutely anything to or around him and he wouldn't care. For 12 years, he kept me safe, got me out of harm’s way multiple times (I swear), and was, by far, the best friend I ever could have asked for. People always asked if I cared how much work they were, or would make comments about how it's “a lot” but I was always just so grateful to have him and Calvin, to have THE most perfect horse to ever exist - and I never took that for granted.
I had made the decision when it was time to go to college to stay local, live at home, and commute so I could take care of the boys. And years later when I went to buy a house, I did the same thing - staying within a 10-minute drive so I could be there just as much as I had been. We moved into our house in January 2022 and in April 2022, Calvin unexpectedly passed. A week later Duncan passed as well. It was earth shattering, to have the center of my world gone. To have lost my everything in a matter of a week was something I couldn't process. And I didn't for a year. Most people reading this may just now be finding out they passed - and if you already knew, I'm sure you found out relatively recently. I couldn't talk about it, face it, bear it. I don't think even I quite realized how far I fell and how much this dimmed my light. Duncan was my reason behind everything and now he was gone.
After a year of feeling so lost and trying to figure out how I wanted to memorialize them. Maybe I would get a bench in Maine where we always go. But I was worried it could wash away or someone would vandalize it. My dad offered a tree on the property but I was worried if we moved and it got cut down. Both ridiculous thoughts but nothing felt right, or honestly just worthy enough for them.
Almost a year later I was talking to my friend whose sister's dog had recently escaped. He had slipped through the fence and unfortunately, was hit by a car. The upfront costs of surgeries and vet bills seemed so exponential - they were left with no choice but to put him down. It was a devastating story to hear because it felt so preventable. "How is there not a fund or something for the vets to pull from for animals who could completely recover when their owners can't afford to pay?" "Why is the majority of 'financial aid' help just credit cards? Doesn't that just assume you are financially comfortable enough to take on potentially a ton of debt? Or that you would even be accepted for a new credit card"? Both things I said to Ryan to which he responded "that's actually a really good idea". And honestly, that's all it took. That minimal amount of support was all I needed to get into the hypotheticals, how I could realistically make it work, and within a couple days I had most of my plan hatched and ready to go. The first thing I knew when coming up with everything was the name - and as soon as the pieces came together I knew this was meant to be.
As soon as the idea was brewed, I felt myself come back to life. I had my passion for photography come back, felt motivated to achieve and do things again, and honestly, just to live my life again. Once again, Duncan was at the forefront of my motivation and pushed me to be better than before. And it was eye opening. I had spent the last year trying to figure out how I was supposed to move on, to recenter my life, when everything felt so empty without him. And when I realized I didn't need to change anything but realign how he would impact my life now, how he was able to impact, and not try and remove him from it, it brought a lot of peace. I want to have everyone know who Duncan was, how incredible he really was, and for him to continue spreading happiness, help, and friendship. He is my everything, and everything I feel for him I want to put into this nonprofit. I want to be able to help families who feel for their own pets what I do for Duncan. Money shouldn't be the reason someone has to put down or surrender their pet - and I want to help loved pets stay home and help other animals find their forever loving home. I want others to be able to enjoy every last second with their pets, like I did with Duncan and Calvin.
So a month later, DunRealTuff Incorporated was born. In the long run, it is really not much of a surprise that I would find myself doing what I have been my entire life. Because there have always been two constants - photography and my love for animals. And while everyone when I was young thought I would become something like a vet, the signs were right there the entire time that I would eventually open a non-profit to help others. I mean, Santa was bringing me business cards when I was maybe 8 years old - it was really smacking us right in the face.
But that brings us to today, where you are reading this and (hopefully) we are starting to get some donations . I hope you resonated with it because I'm not typically one to open up about anything and when this all happened, I shut down,closed myself off from the world.But I think it's so important that everyone understands the real reason behind this company. From day one, DunRealTuff has always had my entire heart and soul, has always been my everything, and now that energy will go here. So please consider making a donation, or following us on social media, so you can check out where we go next.
