In 2013, junior Vedha Mahesh and her family adopted her dog, Waffles, from KenMar Rescue Center in LaCanada, California. Ever since then, they have had an amazing, unbreakable bond. 

Pets have a great impact on people’s lives and can even change them for the better. “Although I adopted Waffles when I was only 10, it helped me become more responsible because I had to help out,” Mahesh said. “I think it’s a great idea for families to adopt a pet while their kids are young, so they can start learning important life lessons earlier.” 

Ever since day one, their love for each other has been booming. Mahesh recalls her favorite memory with her furry friend. “After coming back from a week in North Carolina, my dad picked me up from the airport and brought Waffles and he was very excited to see me,” she said. “Seeing him made me so happy because he reciprocated the love and joy I had for him.”

Waffles doesn’t always follow the rules. “Our old house had a doggie door that led to to the backyard from our house so waffles could use it to go out whenever he wanted to. So once when he went outside he dug up the dirt under the back door and crawled out and basically left and started exploring and we didn’t notice” she said. Then we heard barking outside of our door and realized that he was at our front door waiting to be let in and we realized what he had done.”

A usual day in their life starts off with a morning walk followed by breakfast. While the family is away at school and work, Waffles usually spends his day barking at squirrels outside the house or taking long naps. Once someone returns home, they go for another walk then spend some time together. Sometimes, they even go to dog parks such as Mitchell Park and Ramos Park for good exercise.

As a crucial member of the Mahesh family household, Waffles comes with them to visit family in San Diego. In fact, he even enjoys the long car rides. Sometimes, he even rides the plane with them and always manages to make many new friends at the airport.