Dexter did not become my emotional support simply by being present.

He showed up.

There were moments when I was sitting on the floor, overwhelmed and unable to move forward. Dexter stayed beside me. He didn’t leave the room. He didn’t wander off. He stayed close, steady and quiet, until the storm passed.

He completely got my back.

So I got his back too.

Over time, I began to notice something about him. Dexter doesn’t just love loudly. He loves attentively. When someone is sick, grieving, or vulnerable, he moves closer. He stays. He leans in carefully, as if he understands that presence matters more than noise.

He has always been drawn to those who need gentleness.

After the pandemic, Dexter and I moved into a small basement rental in Toronto. There was little light and no yard. I used to joke — half playfully, half hopefully — that one day we would have windows. And maybe even a yard.

Life was not easy then. But we adjusted. We learned. We stayed.

Eventually, something shifted.

Through patience, creativity, and shared care, Dexter’s world began to expand. What started as home boarding turned into friendship. Friendship turned into shared responsibility. His circle widened.

Instead of one person trying to carry everything alone, love became shared.

And when love is shared, life multiplies.

Dexter began living in more than one home, more than one rhythm, more than one set of memories. His horizon expanded — not because he was given away, but because he was welcomed into more lives.

Just before the end of 2025, we put an offer on a home of our own — with windows, and light, and a yard where he could run wild if he so desired.

That moment felt larger than real estate.

It felt like stability.
Like dignity.
Like the ability to care more generously.

Keys to Kindness was born from that realization.

If stability changes the life of one dog and one person, what could it do when extended outward?

This project exists because of what Dexter taught me:

That staying matters.
That shared responsibility expands possibility.
That kindness becomes powerful when it is practiced consistently.

And that sometimes, the smallest companion becomes the greatest teacher.