~ Chelsea, Theresa and Remus ~
Over five years ago, Chelsea and Theresa welcomed Remus, a timid but sweet Corgi pup, into their lives. Since then, they have become a close family and bring love and joy into every day.
In 2017, Chelsea and their wife, Theresa, were living in Macau, a special administrative region of China. One day, while out and about, they came across a Corgi who was being kept in a cage so small he couldn’t even turn around and was scared of everyone and everything. When they were on their way to Shanghai for a trip, Chelsea named the pup ‘Remus’ and, in doing so, knew that they couldn’t not adopt him.
For the first year, Remus, or Remy, was terrified when meeting anyone new. He would shake and wet himself out of fear. However, with the love and care of his new humans, he gradually became less afraid and was able to trust those around him more.
Having Remus has had a huge impact on his new family, especially Chelsea. Chelsea has had struggles with anxiety, however, when they met Remus, who also had anxiety, they felt a special bond in that they could understand one another. If either of them felt like being active, they would be active together, and if either of them were having a difficult day, they would be right there for each other. On days that have been especially hard for Chelsea, having a canine companion has encouraged them to get out of bed, go outside, give a warm snuggle, or just find a bit of calm during their day.
Since learning to trust the world around him, Remus has absolutely flourished. He now enjoys meeting new friends – humans and dogs alike – and going on adventures. Chelsea and Theresa spent a whole year touring New Zealand in a van and during this time, they found that Remus loved this way of living. As well as this, he adores the water and going for a swim at the nearest beach. This is definitely his happy place.
Not only has Remus had an impact on Chelsea and Theresa, but also many others. He is a very active – and beloved – participant of the LGBTQIA+ community. His humans run a NZ-based queer book business named the ‘Alphabet Book Club’ which was launched in 2021, shortly after they returned to NZ from Macau. Here, Chelsea and Theresa, as well as Theresa’s sister, sell all kinds of books – from children’s to adult, fiction to non-fiction – by from LGBTQIA+ authors and/or with representation. On top of this, they have their own podcast, Facebook group and monthly book boxes to connect with more people who may be looking for their next great read! Remus plays a very important role in this. He has given himself the title ‘chief of security’ by sniffing all parcels sent out and barking at the courier, but works hard and often needs a nap while on the job.
As well as helping run a book business, Remus loves to show his pride whenever he can. He, Chelsea and Theresa often attend Vinegar Hill, a camping festival, and any other events they can find. Of course, Remus is always happily representing his pride by wearing his signature rainbow bandana.
The impact that Chelsea, Theresa and Remus have had on each other has been huge. Through learning to trust and be cared for, Remus has flourished and is living his best life. Having him as their canine companion has also made a world of difference for Chelsea. Each day is filled with unconditional love and endless joy and laughter, simply because they have one another.