People save animals, but oftentimes they save us. For Salena Calhoun and her family, the comfort of her four-legged companions has carried them through every moment of their lives.
With four dogs, five cats, and enough critters to fill a farm, Salena knows there’s no limit to how much animals can teach you.
“When this world is chaotic, animals are loyal,” Salena said. “They will always come back to forgive you, to love you, and to comfort you. We can always learn so much from them.”
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Now it’s her turn to give back.
In 2016, Salena and her husband JJ decided to hit the road and help reunite animals with their pet parents. Her daughter Tara, son Logan, and sister Tammi all joined her — making it a family affair. They hit the road and named their business Our Home Calhoun. They even deliver the fur babies in costume to add an extra smile to everyone’s face.
It all started when Salena realized how much people needed to pay for pet transport, and in particular, how much it would cost veterans.
“People were trying to charge these military vets $1,600, and that didn’t seem right,” Salena said. “They’ve spent every dime on buying that animal, but don’t have anything left for pet transport.”
She knew that there was a way to change the status quo — and discovered the answer when her family faced a tight budget. They needed to get to Virginia but were stuck in California with no way to pay for travel.
That’s when she discovered Roadie. She immediately knew it was a way to offset travel costs and perhaps earn extra spending money.
“We went to California with $100 in our pocket, and because of Roadie, we made enough to make it home and start our business,” Salena said.
Our Home Calhoun first began delivering paintings, furniture, and oversized teddy bears. But it wasn’t until their first Pet Gig that they knew how much good they could do.
His name was Diesel, a 7-year-old Siberian Husky who had recently been rescued from a shelter in Los Angeles. His dog mom Melissa had just relocated to D.C., but couldn’t bring Diesel with her during the move. She heard about Roadie and decided to post a Gig. That’s when she heard from Our Home Calhoun.
“Salena and her husband were the absolute sweetest,” Melissa mentioned in her review. “Great communication (with pictures!) throughout the trip, and I know they treated my rescue pup as if he was their own.”
It wasn’t long before Salena and her family helped bring home another rescue. Next was the Beagle Suneka and a German Shepard mix Leo traveling Albuquerque, NM to Pensacola, FL.
“Salena and JJ were absolutely amazing!” the Sender Clifford wrote in his review. “They were flexible and the communication was great! My wife doesn’t trust many people with her babies so the videos and pictures really put her mind at ease.”
For Our Home Calhoun, it’s not just a business. While her business has empowered Salena to help others start their own, hitting the road has allowed her family to travel from coast to coast. For them, it’s opened up ‘a whole new world of possibilities.’
But most importantly, Salena considers every Gig an amazing adventure. No matter if it’s being there when a young boy meets his new best friend or when a family finds the puppy of their dreams.
“There’s nothing better than seeing the happiness you can bring to somebody when you reunite a pet with its family or bring a rescue to his forever home,” said Salena.
We couldn’t agree more. Thanks for all you do for the Roadie community, Our Home Calhoun!
