It all started with a puppy named Kali

Kali was abandoned in a forest when she was about 3-4 weeks old. In May 2025, we saw a post in an animal rescue group on Facebook — the woman who'd found her was looking for a family for her. The next day we met her at a vet clinic to start nursing Kali back to health: she was dehydrated, starving, and full of parasites. When we saw how tiny she was, our hearts melted — mine and my wife's (my fiancée, back then). She weighed 1.2 kg. We didn't know how big she'd grow — we were only told she'd stay a small-to-medium dog. She was a tiny little fluffball, and we knew right away: she was coming home with us. Later, after a few opinions and some research, we found out she's a merle German Shepherd and Border Collie mix.

The weeks went by, and little by little — with all the vaccines, deworming, and vitamins she needed, plus lots of love and play at home — we got to the point where we could take her outside to start her life as a happy, sociable dog. A dog who makes friends with everyone, because that's been her personality from the start: a big smoocher who gives you all the affection she has, all day long. At first we just went out a little around where we live — a bit of green grass, getting to know the streets in our neighborhood and, little by little, making friends with other dogs too. We thought making friends would take longer, especially since we'd stayed indoors for about 2-3 months. To our surprise, Kali went up to every stranger to kiss them, lay down in front of every dog with her whole body wiggling, and whined at every cat — she wanted to play, and we wouldn't let her, so she wouldn't get scratched. That's how we started exploring. We were delighted to discover there are places that welcome us with our pet — as long as pet owners are responsible.

Last year we got married, and after the wedding we finally had a chance to catch our breath — we started going out more with Kali, and farther: around town, out to grandma's in the countryside. A lot of the time we had other errands to run while she rode along in the car — shopping for renovation supplies, redoing things around the apartment — and that's how we discovered how pet friendly Hornbach and Leroy Merlin are. Then pet stores, guesthouses, cabins, cafes, restaurants. We wrote them all down. Because every time we wanted to go somewhere or try something new, we had to do the research and answer the same question: "is this place pet friendly?" That's how our idea came about, last fall: "what if we could gather all the places where our pet is welcome?" And the answer? It can be done — but only with the help of a community. And that community exists. What's more, the community of animal lovers is incredibly kind and helpful, more than I ever would have thought.

Over time, Kali became a member of the family, not just a pet. Every animal lover comes to the same conclusion: at some point, the animal we care for becomes part of the family. And who doesn't want to spend their free time with family? In the end, that's what it's all about. We want this community to grow together, to open doors and break down barriers — so that we animal lovers can go almost anywhere, as a family.

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