How One Rescue Dog Helped Me Rescue Myself

About eight years ago, Carissa Daniels found herself in a dark and uncertain place. She had just left a painful relationship that left her questioning her worth, cut off from friends, and struggling to get out of bed.

“I cried nonstop,” she remembers. “I had little hope for anything and often wondered if there was even a point in continuing on.”

Days blurred together in sadness and self-doubt until one morning, something shifted. “I woke up and realized I had two choices,” Carissa says. “I could fade away, barely living… or I could find a reason to get up every day.”

The Start of Something New

That reason, as it turned out, came with four paws. Carissa decided to start fostering dogs, hoping that caring for something else might help her reconnect with life. “My first foster had submission pee issues,” she says with a laugh. “Every time I opened his crate, he’d roll over and pee straight up at the ceiling. It wasn’t what I expected, but I learned how to help him.”

She approached him gently, patiently, and with quiet compassion. That small act of care became a lifeline, a way to practice kindness toward herself, too.

Soon, fostering became her rhythm. “I picked up another foster. And another,” she says. There was Cola, the old pit-lab mix with weak legs and a big heart. A pittie-dachshund puppy fighting off worms. A tiny, fiery chihuahua mix named Dottie, who made her laugh again. Each dog brought its own challenges and gifts, and each one helped Carissa heal.

She walked them daily, went to rescue events, met new people, and slowly began to feel connected again.

Meeting Tink

Eventually, Carissa was ready for a dog of her own, a forever companion. Because she volunteered as a foster, she got a sneak peek at dogs coming up from the South before they were posted online.

“One day, I saw a photo of this beautiful, square-faced, black-and-white dog,” Carissa recalls. “She had a folded ear and a big smile. The post said she was easygoing. I asked, ‘Would you call her a sweet soul dog?’” Her name was Tink, and Carissa applied for her immediately.

But when Tink arrived, she wasn’t the joyful pup Carissa imagined. “She was shut down,” she says. “She didn’t seem excited or interested in me at all. I asked my best friend, ‘Do you think she’ll like it here?’ He said, ‘Yeah, she’ll like it here.’ And he was right eventually.”

It took time, patience, and love. Walks in the park. Pretty collars. Quiet nights on the couch. Slowly, Tink began to relax. She started to trust. And as Tink came back to life, so did Carissa.

Reconnecting with the World

Carissa began creating new routines around their bond. She started a Facebook group for dog lovers, organized meetups, and joined classes where Tink learned recall and confidence.

They began hiking at 3 a.m. in the White Mountains, exploring trails that stretched for hours. “I had never been hiking in my life,” Carissa says. “But it felt like we were both learning how to live again.”

There were brunches, Tink always got her own plate of eggs and bacon, and countless small adventures that rebuilt joy, one moment at a time.

“She remains my connection to something pure,” Carissa says softly. “She’s the reason I’m still here.”

What Healing Looks Like

Through Tink, Carissa learned that healing doesn’t always happen in big moments. Sometimes, it’s in the quiet acts of care, a morning walk, a shared meal, or a gentle hand reaching out in trust. “When humanity makes you feel disconnected, nature and animals can remind you that you still belong,” she says. “Tink did that for me.” Carissa’s story is a reminder that purpose can return when we least expect it and that sometimes, the love we give away becomes the love that saves us.