"Daddy, Mommy, can I have a dog?!"  a seven year old Kristy asked. "Wait until you get married, then, you can have a dog." Hun, can we have a dog? A now married Kristy asked her husband Jeff. "Never." he replied.
A puppy was not going to be as easy to acquire as she thought.  That is  until one trip, two weeks after getting married.  It was August 10, 2007 in Armenia when a little miracle wobbled into the newlyweds  lives.  The couple was on their honeymoon when they came up on a very  prominent statue, in what many people would consider "the middle of nowhere".  What they would find under this statue, named Dadig Babig, would change their lives forever. She was 11 ounces, alone and adorable. The tiny puppy  was noticeable hungry and thirsty. Leaving her little helpless frame in  the blazing hot sun was never an option for the couple.

After scooping  her up, feeding her some pita bread and water, the trio traveled to a  local vet in town.  The vet gave her a clean Bill of Health and told her  she was very lucky with a pat on the head.  Then, the obvious happened.  Kristy looked at Jeff and said, "we have to bring her home with us!"  Jeff, being the analytical, realistic type, quickly reminded his wife of  the 15 hour, multiple country flight they would have to leave for in just four more days.  Kristy, being the dreamer and artsy type, did not care!  It actually did not take that many puppy kisses to convince the "non-dog lover" to ask the vet, "how do we bring this puppy back to the USA with us."  Kristy closed her eyes until the vet answered, "not hard at all!"  After Kristy cried with excitement in that little Armenian veterinarian's office, so did the puppy after being Micro-chipped and prepared for her long journey to America.  All of the paperwork was prepared until the vet got to one particular line.  "What is her name?" he asked.  The couple looked at the nameless puppy and looked at each other and said, "Niva."  A Niva is a very tiny Russian car which is very popular in Armenia.  So it was very fitting for her petite frame.  Departure day was very exciting.  The couple set out for the 15 hour trip back home, now, plus one.  Niva was a very good girl on the plane.  She ate quietly; she slept quietly; she even looked up at us with her big eyes quietly.  "Wow! She is being so good!"  When the plane was preparing for landing, every baby on board started crying. Amidst the human baby cries, Niva chimed in as well. This caused the airplane to laugh. Everyone who met Niva from day one had to smile.

First stop after landing?  The pet store! Today, Niva is a nine month old, twenty-three pound ball of fire.  She loves to play, bark, and have her belly rubbed all the time.  The ironic part of the story is who ended up smitten.  We will just leave it to your imagination, but the expression "man's best friend" should come to mind.

The collection Kristy created is based on how much she is inspired by  Niva everyday.  Every gift bag in this collection is named after a dog Niva has become friends with.  A part of the proceeds will be donated to local animal rescues.  Take notice of the Niva bag and please enjoy the collection.