It all started with a puppy named Kali

Kali was abandoned in a forest at about 3-4 weeks old. In May 2025, we saw a post on an animal-rescue Facebook group — the woman who found her was looking for a family for her. The next day we met her at a vet, to start putting her back on her feet: 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 instantly: we're taking her home. Later, after a few opinions and checks, we found out she's a mix of German Shepherd merle and Border Collie.

The weeks went by, and slowly — with all the necessary vaccines, deworming, and vitamins, plus a lot of love and play at home — we reached 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 character from the start: a big smoocher, who gives you every bit of affection she has, all day long. At first we went out a little around where we live — a bit of green grass, to get to know the neighborhood streets and slowly make friends, including with other dogs. We thought making friends would be a longer process, 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 and got excited with her whole body, and cried 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 the owners are responsible.

Last year we got married, and after the wedding we caught a moment to breathe — we started going further and more often with Kali: around town, out to grandma's in the countryside. Many times we'd have other things to take care of while she came along in the car — shopping for renovations, changing things around the apartment — and that's how we discovered how pet-friendly Hornbach and Leroy Merlin are. Then the pet shops, guesthouses, cabins, cafes, restaurants. We noted them all down. Because every time we wanted to go somewhere or have a new experience, 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's possible — but only with a community's help. And the 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. The conclusion every animal lover reaches is that, at some point, the being you care for becomes part of the family. And who doesn't want to spend their free time with family? That's what it's about, in the end. We want this community to grow together, to open doors and break down barriers — so that we, animal lovers, can go almost anywhere, together as a family.

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