Meet the Dogs Behind the Brand
Meet the real rescue dogs behind The Adventures of Poppy: Learning to Be Brave — Poppy, Tessa, Juniper, and Dixie.
About Poppy
Poppy was adopted from Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League in West Palm Beach, Florida in January 2021 at approximately nine months old. She came to her forever home having already cycled through three shelters and two previous adoptions — the reasons for her returns remain unknown.
The transition into her new home wasn't without challenges. Poppy arrived with significant anxiety, easily unsettled by loud noises, unfamiliar faces, thunderstorms, and even the wind. With a formal diagnosis and, more importantly, a family committed to understanding her, she's learned to navigate the world with growing confidence.
These days, Poppy can be found claiming the sunniest spot in the house, burning energy at the park, chasing coconuts (a habit she picked up from her friend Juniper), wrestling with her sister Tessa, and maintaining an impressive collection of squeaky toys.
She still greets the people she loves with her signature high-five. And when words aren't enough — especially when excitement gets the better of her — she expresses herself the only way she knows how: by bringing you a toy.
Follow Poppy's adventures and see her in action:
@iamagoodpoppy
About Juniper
Juniper was adopted from a shelter in Jacksonville, Florida in 2013 at approximately three years old — though her path there was one she never chose.
When her family moved away, Juniper was left behind. She stayed close to the only home she'd known, waiting. The family who eventually moved into the house found her still there and brought her to the shelter, where she found the people who would spend the rest of her life making sure she never had to wait like that again.
She was worth finding.
Juniper was gentle, intelligent, and deeply devoted to the people she loved. She had a particular talent for making everyone around her feel at ease — the kind of quiet, grounding presence that a household doesn't fully appreciate until it's gone. Her days were filled with lizard patrols on the patio, long stretches in the sunniest spots she could find, the precise and satisfying destruction of balloons, coconut chases, swimming, and long naps with a soft toy close by.
She passed away in early 2022, leaving behind a family who loved her completely.
For Poppy, Juniper was more than a companion. She was a teacher, a safe place, and the reason coconut chasing became part of Poppy's story too. The confidence Poppy carries today was, in no small part, shaped by her.
Browse old photos and videos of Juniper and her time with Poppy:
@iamagoodpoppy
About Tessa
Tessa was adopted in 2022 from Justin Bartlett Animal Rescue in Royal Palm Beach, Florida at approximately a year and a half old. Originally from Alabama, she made her way to Florida through a rescue network — and into a home that was ready for exactly her kind of energy.
And there is a lot of energy.
Tessa approaches life with an enthusiasm that's difficult to contain and even harder not to love. She's social, silly, and utterly food-motivated — new people are greeted as potential belly-rub providers and snack sources until proven otherwise. The clumsiness is real, but she commits fully to whatever she's doing, which makes it charming rather than graceful.
Her current interests include patrolling the yard for lizards, working through an antler collection, executing full-speed zoomies with no particular destination, monitoring the kitchen floor for anything that might fall, and co-piloting every car ride she can negotiate her way into. Downtime is spent cuddled up with Poppy or whoever on the human side of the family is willing to share the couch.
Beyond her own exuberant personality, Tessa has quietly played an important role in Poppy's journey. Her steady, confident presence has given Poppy a model for facing new experiences — and a reason to try.
Follow Tessa for photos, videos, and general chaos:
@TessasTale
About Dixie
Dixie was adopted in 2012 from the Humane Society of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at approximately two years old. How she came to be at the shelter is unknown — but the day Poppy's aunt, uncle, and cousin walked in changed everything.
She fit into her family as though she'd always been there.
Dixie was gentle, perceptive, and quietly devoted. She had an easy warmth with people and a natural talent for friendship — both human and canine. Life with Dixie meant a yard in constant motion: squirrels, birds, and lizards were perpetually on notice, and every walk was treated as a proper adventure regardless of the route. But her most endearing preoccupation was ducks. Their waddling, their quacking, the general absurdity of them — she never quite got over it, and never stopped trying to figure them out.
She spent every year of her life giving her family exactly what they didn't know they needed: laughter, loyalty, and the particular comfort of a dog who is simply, completely glad to be with you.
Dixie is remembered with love by her family — and by Poppy, who was lucky enough to know her.