Planted with Love

Today we hopped on the bus and traveled 30 mins to Coconut Hound Haven. When we arrived at Coconut Hound Haven, we met Daniela, one of the directors. As we walked through the gate our ears flooded with dog barks. It wasn’t until this point that we learned who was a true dog lover and who did not like dogs. The dog lover in me instantly wanted to adopt all of the dogs and take them home. We gathered around Daniela to receive our tasks for the day. Five of us were assigned to bathe dogs, two of us would be planting trees, and the rest would be walking dogs. I volunteered to plant and got straight to work. We entered the backyard area where larger and more active dogs were kept. As soon as I entered the planting area, 5 dogs jumped on me, others tried biting my hands, while shy dogs ran away and hid. Not only was I able to plant trees that will eventually provide shade for the dogs, but I also established a strong and affectionate connection between the dogs. After planting 2 trees, I cleaned one of the dog cages which is where the dogs sleep at night. When we arrived back at the house, we announced the raffle winners through Instagram live which was a fun experience. 

Victoria Bofill
​Cohort 2023