A Letter from Karen (and the whole wild crew)
This is the letter I've been trying to write for almost three years. Meet the revolution.
This is the letter I’ve been trying to write for almost three years.
If you’re reading this, you already know me.
You know me from the Aspen shelter calendar we worked on together, or from the session where I photographed your dog doing something ridiculous and completely perfect. Maybe you know me from the years I’ve spent on the Dallas Animal Advisory Commission, sitting in council rooms, listening to people say the same thing at the end of every single meeting:
“We need more education.”
Or maybe you've just wondered where I've been for the past few years.
I've spent years as a foster mom, a shelter fundraiser, a bio writer for adoptable pets, and the go-to call for anyone who finds an 'orphaned' kitten. Five years on the Dallas Animal Advisory Commission. And after all of that, this is what I see:
An animal welfare industry that talks AT people and raises a TON of money with guilt, shame, sad faces, and a lot of promises, but...
Shelters are way over capacity. Rescues are exhausted. Animals are running out of time and space. And the people who love them most are left navigating a broken, expensive system—Googling at midnight, doing their absolute best, and somehow still made to feel like it isn't enough.
One day it hit me: Why am I waiting for someone else to do something? And why can't talking about rescue feel as joyful as the pets themselves?
And so I built Paws & Wonder.
Think of it as the Schoolhouse Rock of pet ownership and animal welfare: teaching the things that actually help without making anyone feel like a suspect or a failure. Because shame doesn’t spark revolutions. Stories do.
It’s a universe of animal rebels who want to change the world and know how to use TikTok. They've got opinions, feelings, "Fílos-ophies", sass, stickers, and stories...Oh, so many stories!
The lead character is Rosie (some of you may already know her). She's a calico who was found alone at five weeks old on a mountain under a juniper bush and she's been running my life ever since. She’s part Desi Lydic, part Dolly Parton. She makes a point and lets you sit with it. She’s not mean, just devastatingly correct.
There’s Dash. Golden retriever energy in a ginger cat body with a trucker hat that reads “Nap Hard. Love Harder.” and a snack pack labeled “For Emergencies (and kittens).” There's Fílos, the Lavender Legend "Sir Feels-A-Lot", protesting the universal Right to Naps & Snacks. And Fuego, a former darling of donkey theater, now keeping an archive of The Joy Uprising from the barn loft. There are the dogs of The Barkrising: Moondoggie, C.T. Barker, Doc Andi, and The Glorious Miss D, just to name a few.
And then there’s Ebbs.
An orphaned opossum who wandered into the cats’ revolution wearing a pink tutu (a scrunchie he found near the dumpster) and a cardboard crown. The cats decided his name could not be Stanley, and he's been Ebbs ever since. He’s a poet. A startup wizard. And the most emotionally present creature in any room. He falls asleep without warning, cries at beautiful things, and carries glitter for emergencies. His catchphrase is “I may not be sleek, but I’m sparkly.” His motto: “Trash is a mindset.” I didn’t plan on Ebbs. He just showed up. Now I can’t imagine the revolution without him.
There are 34 rebels (and counting). Each is based on a someone I know and love: pet, foster, rescue, friend (yes, even the human kind). Each has a role, a story, a manifesto, and a mission. Cute can be revolutionary.
To fund the launch, I’m offering something pretty special!
The Founder’s Bundle — $100
One of 100. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.
This isn’t just a portrait. It’s a legacy piece. For you, and for them.
The Alter Ego Digital Portrait
A custom illustration of your pet in the Paws & Wonder style, complete with a tactical role in the revolution. Think Dash’s “Emergency Snack Officer.” Think Fílos’s “Minister of Naps.” That energy, that specificity, that love, but yours. Your animal, their mission. A hi-res digital file to print, post, or frame.
The Prototype Legacy Card
A physical 4x6 art card on heavyweight stock. Your pet’s alter ego on the front. On the back, a “Just In Case” prompt. Something like: “The specific way [Pet Name] looks at me when they’ve successfully orchestrated a snack heist is…”, because some things deserve to be written down before we forget them.
The Founder’s Mark
A hand-stamped Provenance Card, signed by me (and possibly by Rosie, pending her schedule) acknowledging you as one of the original 100 architects of the Blueprint for a Kinder World.
For $100, your pet enters the universe. You become part of the founding story.
After you purchase, I’ll send you a short creative intake form: your pet’s personality, their protest sign, their fictional alter ego. It’s genuinely fun to fill out. You send me a few photos. And I get to illustrating. Physical cards ship in 3–4 weeks. Digital files delivered first.
If a portrait isn’t your thing right now, the single most helpful thing you can do is forward this to one person (or two) whose pet deserves to be immortalized as a revolutionary alter ego.
You already know exactly who that person is.
This is real. It’s launching today. And you’re first to know.
Want to see more characters, read the mission, or just enjoy a little Rosie side eye?
Thank you for being here from the start. We have stories to tell. Snacks to share. A movement to build.
With paws and wonder,
Karen
P.S. Rosie wanted to write this letter herself. I told her next time. She made a sticker for Facebook instead.