Tamira's Path to Today

About Tamira

The photo you see above is the doghouse wedding Tamira planned in 2011 for herself and now-husband Joe. The wedding was held on the steps of the Pennsylvania state Capitol building after a day of Chain Off, where more than 40 people came and chained themselves to doghouses advocating for better state laws for chained dogs.

Most stayed to get a look at what was most likely the first (and last) ever doghouse wedding.

While it's true that many men end up in the doghouse after the wedding, in this case the groom started his marriage already in the doghouse...Joe jokes that there was nowhere to go but up.

As part of the ceremony, Joe and Tami unchained each other while speaking of their commitment to one another and the marriage. A big Thank You to Joe for making Tami's extreme wedding dreams come true.

Tami, Joe, new rescue pup Khronos, and cats Una, Tootie, and Princess Vivian (a foster cat who came with the house but shows no signs of leaving) live in her dream home on 35 wooded acres in Culpeper County, Virginia. They share the land with bears, coyotes, foxes, deer, snakes, a gorgeous river, and a stream with a trail.

Their beloved formerly-chained shepherd Sloan passed away in May 2015.

Tamira is the founder and former Director of Dogs Deserve Better; today she works as an author, freelance art director, publisher, and activist from her home in the beautiful Virginia countryside.

Tamira and Joe on their Honeymoon in 2012