Storytelling Began in the Clouds
I have always loved storytelling. As a child, my favorite and earliest memories with my dad are of us laying on our backs in the backyard grass, finding objects in the clouds and telling stories. He had a handful of good ones that I would ask him to tell me over and over. He was so expressive with his storytelling, his hands would mimic objects, fueling my imagination like I was right there in the story. So much so that to this day I remember the stories vividly. I can remember his voices and the way he laughed before telling me the highlight, the reveal. I cherish these memories with my dad.
How Rescue Work Became Story Work
Growing up, I couldn’t have imagined how much storytelling would become such a huge part of the work that I do. Telling good stories is an important part of rescue work and helps build the connection between adopters and the pets they bring home. In the early days of the rescue, I didn’t realize how important that connection was. We would give each rescue dog a basic bio and occasionally share where they came from, but there wasn’t a lot of thought or intention behind it. It wasn’t until we rescued a dog named Devo, short for Devotion, that I truly realized the impact a rescue dog’s story could have on their visibility and their connection to families looking to adopt.
Devo was found as a stray on a busy road in Phoenix, laying next to another dog who had been hit and killed by a car. Many people saw this beautiful blue nose pit bull that day, laying devoted next to his friend, never leaving her side. It was almost 14 hours before Maricopa County Animal Control made it over to pick him and his friend up. His story spread far and wide and the news headline claiming, “Heartsick Pit Bull stays with dead friend for 14 hours” pulled at many people’s heartstrings. We got the call to rescue him from the shelter. When we posted on social media that we had rescued him, many people already knew the story of the devoted dog and his friend. Emails and donations flooded into the rescue. So many people wanted to see this dog live his happy forever-after after all he had been through. Adopters lined up to offer him a forever home. They wanted to give him the ending he deserved.
The Power of Telling a Rescue’s Story
In the midst of all the hype, I began to think about his story and the impact it had on people and their willingness to give this dog, with a heartbreaking story, a forever home. They didn’t seem to care about so many of the other qualities that usually make a dog the right fit. I realized then, as I had so many other great dogs deserving of a home, that the stories make a difference for people and the connection they may feel with a dog they have never met. It became my mission to tell better stories for my rescues, because all of them, no matter where they came from, had someone who gave up, abandoned, lost them and never came looking. And the stories did not have to be sad, no, they could be stories of perseverance, resilience, hope, bravery, and healing. Stories of second chances. All of them deserve the same opportunity to be seen and to have that connection that Devo made with hundreds of people.
Many times when we rescue a dog, we don’t have their backstory. Sometimes we do, but no matter what, we make it a point to tell their stories with transparency, compassion, and love, for both them and the community we serve. There are all sorts of reasons a pet may end up homeless, and we want to make sure never to shame the owners. Rather, by focusing on the incredible souls we rescue and how we love and care for them, we help tell their story. Storytelling is a skill that has been refined and practiced here at the rescue for a long time. It’s what’s made strangers into supporters and adopters and volunteers into family.
Rediscovering What I’ve Learned Through Personal Storytelling
Devo helped me realize the importance of telling their stories authentically. Through learning to tell stories for them, storytelling has become such an important part of our mission. It has helped us advocate, educate, fundraise and ultimately find wonderful families to welcome them home.
Through this class, I’ve seen how a story can build a connection between people who, at first glance, seem to have nothing in common. It’s a kind of everyday magic, the same magic I’ve witnessed in the rescue world, where unlikely bonds form and lives change because someone hears a story that connects with them. Now that I’ve experienced that magic in this space, I can’t stop thinking about all the ways storytelling can continue to open doors in my life. Whether it’s in my community work, with family, or in other special spaces shared with others.
(The image at the top shows Jessica Foreman, Manu Moeller, Courtney Anderson, Maria Valenzuela, and Shakera Robinson at a Dia de los Muertos celebration at SMCC in 2025.)
My name is Courtney, and I’m a born-and-raised Arizonan with deep roots in Phoenix. I work for the City of Phoenix Housing Department, where I lead programs that expand access, opportunity, and connection for residents across our city. Outside of work, I’m the founder of AZK9 Rescue, a nonprofit focused on education, community support, and spay/neuter initiatives for families and their pets throughout Maricopa County.
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