Dog Owner Profile: Blair Salt

This Dog Owner Profile is a part of our series featuring local dog owners in San Antonio. Want to be featured? Apply here!

Name: Blair Salt

Occupation: Membership and Visitor Services Manager at the McNay, founder of the blog Dogs Are a Girl’s Best Friend

Dog’s Name & Breed: Junebug is a rescue mutt from Harlingen, TX. She is mostly chow/boxer/pit bull with some husky/lab/GSD thrown in, according to her Embark results. Yet, she is only 30 pounds. Margot Polo is a rescue Miniature American Shepherd (mini Aussie), and last but not least, my husband’s dog from before we met—a rescue chow/GSD mix named Totes, AKA Grandpa Totes (he is around 11-ish years).

 Q&A:

1. How did June and Margot become a part of your life?

The day before my husband and I were going on a trip to the Dominican Republic, my beloved dog Mia passed away very unexpectedly when an unknown tumor on her liver ruptured. She was only 8 years old. Mia was my heart dog, and I was utterly gutted when she passed. My husband and I still went on the trip, and honestly it was a critical part of my healing. I met a lot of dogs in the D.R., including a golden retriever puppy named Simba, who lived at the hotel we stayed at, and all of them seemed to know I was hurting. They helped me process a lot.

When we got home, I wanted to foster a dog immediately, because the house felt too empty with just one dog. I reached out to Tracy from Tracy’s Paws Rescue, because that is who I had adopted Mia from. We drove out to Tracy’s house to meet a different dog, but June unexpectedly stole my heart with how sweet and gentle she was. She came home with us and fit in so perfectly that we decided to adopt her about three weeks later.

About two or three months after adopting June, I realized that she needed a playmate. Grandpa Totes doesn’t really play much, and June really thrived playing with other dogs. Mia was an Aussie/lab mix, and I missed the intensity of a herding breed. So, we reached out to various breed specific rescues. We almost ended up with a blue heeler puppy from Texas Cattle Dog Rescue, but that fell through at the very last minute. Instead, the stars aligned, and we adopted Margot from Lone Star Aussie Rescue when she was five months old.

2. What’s your dog’s most unique characteristic?

June makes the most hilarious facial expressions that are so fun to capture in photos. I usually say her best trick is imitating emojis because inevitably her expressions look comically like an emoji.

Margot’s most unique characteristic is that she will flop in your arms like a rag doll. You can just scoop her up and she’ll flop over and chill….at least for a few minutes before wiggle-waggling her way out!

3. What’s your favorite dog product?

Ohhh, this is a tie between EarthDog hemp collars and leashes and BakedBones CBD products!

4. What’s been your biggest challenge as a dog owner?

If I’m being totally honest, I brought home a new dog too soon after losing my last one, so for many, many months I kept comparing June and Margot to Mia, which was really unfair.

Moving on from that loss and learning to bond with June and Margot—both VERY different dogs than Mia— was incredibly challenging, but deeply rewarding. It’s also a big inspiration behind my dog mom blog!

5. Tell us about your favorite dog-friendly location to visit in San Antonio. 

I live right next to the McNay, and I love to take the girls for a walk through the grounds in the morning. It’s very peaceful, and I enjoy looking at the art. There are also lots of opportunities for Margot and June to sniff and explore, so they really enjoy it, too!

Author: Blair Salt

Blair is a native San Antonian, committed dog mom, and all around animal lover. She lives in San Antonio with her husband, three rescued dogs, and a rescued cat. You can find her writing about responsible pet ownership over at her dog mom blog, Dogs Are a Girl’s Best Friend. When not hanging out with her pets, you can find Blair working at the McNay Art Museum, teaching yoga at AC Power Yoga, or cooking up a delicious plant-based meal in her kitchen. Find her on social media @twopupsinapawed!