Nomi Berger

Volunteer:

My name is Nomi Berger. I’m unique in that I volunteer my writing skills online from my home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada!

Active Volunteer For:

I am a passionate writer of the Media team and contribute towards writing the rescue’s Post Adoption Success Stories, our Sanctuary Dogs and Hearts of Gold Therapy Handler/Dog teams.

Found out about GRRMF:

I became a member of the GRRMF family on February 18, 2020 because I so firmly supported and believed in your mission: to save, protect and rehome golden retrievers, retriever breeds, and blends with golden hearts who have lost their homes and families.

My Journey:

As for the journey that brought me here? Words are my passion and were my profession. Born in Montreal, Quebec, I have a B.A. in Journalism from The American University in Washington, D.C., and I’m the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry and hundreds of articles. I’ve also worked as an industrial magazine editor, an advertising copywriter, a marketing consultant, and the Public Relations director of a major hospital. Having grown up in an “allergic” household, we had no pets, and owning one never occurred to me. Then, in 2011, I fell in love with Uggie, a Jack Russell terrier in the Academy Award winning film “The Artist.” Don’t ask me why. Writers can’t explain their obsessions, and Uggie, a rescue dog, became mine, followed swiftly by a second one: the world of animal rescue. In 2013, I began volunteering my writing skills online to dog and cat rescues in Canada and the US. One year later, I took a leap of faith and adopted a “hypo-allergenic” 6-year-old Maltese named Mini. An owner surrender for some unfathomable reason, this petite 6-pound white bundle of snuggly sweetness and sassiness allowed me to experience, for the first and last time, the exquisite intensity of a dog’s unconditional love. Inseparable for 9 memorable years since I work all day, every day from my small rose-hued apartment, Mini passed away peacefully at the age of 15 on April 23, 2023. And while I remain as bereft today as the day she crossed Rainbow Bridge, my passion for words burns even brighter.

Heart-Warming GRRMF Highlight:

What I find most heartwarming is seeing my words in print describe the joy shared by forever families and their adopted dogs in our Success Stories, the compassion and devotion of the Sanctuary Dogs’ fosters for the dogs in their care, and the the daily miracles performed by our Hearts of Gold Therapy teams.

Advice to Potential Volunteer:

Embrace whatever you do wholeheartedly. Challenge yourself daily to be the best you can be and know there’s no greater gift than the gift of giving back.