New chihuahua ami, and his real-life inspiration

I hope this finds you well, friend. Just checking in with a bit of travel news and a new amigurumi make. I landed in California about a week ago, and fortunately was able to bring two shelter dogs, Romi and Roy (pictured below) from South Korea to their new families in Los Angeles. Roy went with me in-cabin, and Romi was checked in.

It was the first time I had acted as a rescue courier for a dog shelter. Even though going through American customs is no picnic at the moment, I would volunteer again without hesitation. The shelter took care of all the paperwork for the families, helped me check in with the dogs, and kept in touch until I landed. I met the families (who were strangers to me and to each other) after exiting the terminal in LA. It was a joyful meeting, and from the photos and video my new friends have shared this week, both pups are settling in nicely. Romi and Roy came from Aniband Shelter in Goyang, near Seoul. You can find the shelter’s Instagram and links to YouTube and adoptable dogs here.

A couple of weeks before leaving, I made an amigurumi figure of Gonji, one of Aniband’s adoptable chihuahuas, and gave it to the shelter volunteers when we met at the airport.

Toy Gonji is based on a pattern called “Lola the Chihuahua” by the very talented @miss.cuddlington . I used Phildar Coton 3 yarns in caramel for the body and pale pink for the ears. It was crocheted with my trusty 3.00mm Clover hook.

Toy Gonji has 8mm black safety eyes backed with black felt. I used a plastic dog nose and synthetic black whiskers to give him a little more realness. Also, I smudged some black powdered eyeshadow at the muzzle and eyebrows for shading.

Lastly, Gonji’s twin has his own personalized necklace. The figure is about 8 inches long from tail to front paws.

I really hope the real-life Gonji is adopted soon. He is an absolute charmer. I met him when I visited Aniband in December, to finalize adopting Joy in February.

Yes, you read that right – I am adopting a second small pooch after I return to South Korea. More on that later. Meanwhile, have a peep at Gonji, below.

The reasons I volunteer are to bring joy and alleviate suffering. In a world that’s unstable and often cruel, bringing joy to animals and people is a form of resistance. Kindness is a counterforce.

I’ll be in San Diego for the next couple of weeks enjoying fairly nice weather. One of my favorite pastimes this week has been to catch up on reading while lounging on a sunny patio – pure bliss. We had quite a bit of rain in the beginning of January, though, which could lead to some glorious desert blooms in February. I am a bit doubtful there will be a real superbloom in California this year, but if I get a chance, I will head out to admire the desert flora in Anza-Borrego before I fly back to Korea.

More news next time on playing tourist and my tiny acts of resistance. Until then, much love and light.