Caimito Finds Her Forever Home

Recently, Client Advocate Katrina and other staff reunited a lost pup with their owner. A long-time visitor reported to staff that her dog had gone missing. Staff in the Resource Hub helped to report the lost dog. The very next morning someone brought the dog to Ballard Food Bank. Luckily, Katrina recognized the dog and was able to arrange a joyous reunion.

Food is just the beginning at Ballard Food Bank. What makes our community a wonderful place is that it's a hub where people, and their pets, feel connected and seen, greeted by name.

We’re so happy to be a trusted source of support to community members when it comes to their furry friends. Along with reconnecting pups and their people, we’ve helped find forever homes for pets coming through our doors…some with our own staff!

Caimito curls up into a ball for an afternoon nap in the office

If you've ever spent time in the staff office, you've seen Caimito. The tiny Chiweenie (Chihuahua-Dachshund mix) with a hankering for pats and a cozy perch at the end of the office desks to watch all her friends at the food bank come and go. This cutie and her human, Ysa (Senior Manager of Food Access), met at Ballard Food Bank four years ago!

It was July 2021 at the old Ballard Food Bank building and the free veterinary clinic was in. Ysa was working on a Weekend Food For Kids pack. Around that time, Ysa had been discussing with staff members their idea of getting a Chihuahua. They didn't really grow up with pets, they'd never had a dog before. Nonetheless, the idea was floating around.

Serendipitously, Laura who was working in the warehouse that day spotted a backpack full of puppies in line at the vet clinic. She rushed to Ysa to let her know she needed to take a look.

Ysa recalls, "I went out to the line and there was a bag with Caimito and two of her siblings … I asked the woman are you looking for homes for these dogs. She was like you can take her right now but I'd never had a pet before. I short circuited, I was at work. I offered my phone number but she said her phone wasn’t really working. I panicked, I worried she would be gone by the time I could call. I was heartbroken thinking she wouldn't wait."

In a twist of fate, and good cell coverage, Ysa called the woman with the backpack of puppies the very next day and she answered! They met up at the QFC in Capitol Hill. The woman from the veterinary clinic line brought a brindle puppy and tiny Caimito. She put them on the hood of Ysa's car and once Caimito came right up and licked her she knew that was her dog!

Four years later, Caimito and Ysa are a dynamic duo at Ballard Food Bank. Ysa explains how Caimito takes her role very seriously. "She is aware that she has a job here - that she is an emotional support dog. She knows this is hard work. She's like 'Do you need me to look longingly at you, do you need to pet me or need me to kiss you?' I love that she's loyal. She's very sweet."

Caimito after her afternoon walk

Caimito came into Ysa's life at the food bank and then built on her own role and life at the food bank. Each day, everyone who comes into the office says hi to her as they walk by. Ysa estimates that someone probably walks by every 10 minutes to say hello to her.

Ysa says, "I think the vet clinic is cool regardless and it has a special place in my heart because that's how I got Caimito and met her. It's sweet to see her grow up here. When I first got her in the first building she was a puppy, I would leave her on Nathaniel's lap and she'd look longingly at me. Now she has her own friends at work."

Caimito's social prowess was a product of her environment. Ysa exposed her to the community at large from a very young age. As a four year old, Caimito has so many friends she even has her own birthday parties (that several food bank staff members have attended.) It's safe to say the entire staff is part of the Caimito fan club at this point.

Caimito and Ysa are truly a bonded pair. Their companionship came out of one of the hundreds of connections that happen daily at Ballard Food Bank when neighbors meet neighbors. It was a total joy to hear from Ysa how meeting Caimito was a happy accident that transformed both their lives.

Beyond getting food on the table, we are also fostering a space at Ballard Food Bank where people - and pets - can truly connect.